To Build a Home
by petevioletfan
Summary: Pete and Violet post season 4 finale.
1. Maybe We Should Stop This

**Violet**

She lay on the left side of the bed, feeling as if the few feet between her and her husband only kept growing bigger with each night that they continued this routine.

He said he was done, but the thing that hurt the most was he throwing last year in her face, and blaming her for being selfish when she thought he understood what she was going through.

However, at the same time she couldn't forgive herself for being gone when it happened. She couldn't forgive herself for not seeing the signs, and for causing him so much stress when clearly his body couldn't handle it.

She had spent weeks crying herself to sleep as her husband remained in his hospital bed. She thought that his return home would allow things to return to the way they were, but things couldn't be more different.

While she knew they could fight this, go to therapy and work on their issues, she knew Pete didn't have the strength to fight right now. She couldn't remember the last time they'd touched, or been intimate in any kind of way. Right now she didn't know what she had to lose.

She could feel a tear run down her left cheek and onto the sheet beneath her.

**Pete**

He laid on the right side of the bed, in a spot which was beginning to mold to his frame. Their bedroom was filled with complete darkness and the only way he could be sure Violet was laying next to him was her slight weight on the mattress. If his deteriorating health was not enough to frustrate him, he could feel his deteriorating marriage begin to push him over the edge.

She had come back; she had found him dying on the floor in front of their son. She had apologized time and time again for leaving in the first place, but none of this excused her decision to walk away.

He thought he'd forgiven her for leaving after her attack. He convinced himself that he wasn't angry with her because he knew he loved her too much. But now, with everything up in the air he came face to face with the idea that maybe he wasn't over it.

He knew his recovery had been slow and tedious, and while Violet was there to aid him physically, she was avoiding everything that mattered the most.

Maybe this time love wasn't enough.

The air was tense before he spoke. "Maybe we should stop this." He felt himself whisper.

Violet didn't respond right away, but he refused to repeat himself knowing she had heard him.

He had become so accustomed to the silence that he was almost taken aback by her voice.

"Maybe we should." She responded nervously, neither willing to meet the other's eye but only continuing to stare at the ceiling.

Violet didn't feel there was a need to say anything else. She could feel her eyes sting as she fought eagerly to hold back the tears that were now trickling down her cheek. She felt the lump in her throat continue to grow as she tried so hard to remain strong lying there next to him. However, not even a minute passed before her emotions got the best of her, prompting her to remove the covers from her body and step out of bed.

As she casually tried to walk to the washroom she could hear him whisper "Vi" his voice filled with pain. She ignored him and gently closed the door behind her as she keeled over onto the cold tile of her bathroom, putting her hand over her mouth as she rocked back and forth, refusing to think about how much this hurt.


	2. Leaving

Violet had spent most of the night locked in the bathroom, refusing to return to the bed and confront her current situation. She had spent the remainder of the night going over and over recent events thinking about where everything had gone so wrong. It wasn't until she saw the morning light peek through the bathroom window that she tiptoed past Pete and to her son's room.

Her son had been sleeping so peacefully, obviously oblivious to the changes that were ahead. It pained Violet to look at him and realize she was letting him down…yet again. She pulled the rocking chair from the corner of the room up to Lucas's crib and admired her son until she was forced to greet the morning.

She didn't even realize she had been sleeping until she felt a hand stroke her arm.

"Hey" Pete said looking at her. It was the one of the few times she had stared into his eyes since his heart attack. She didn't know if it was because the sun was so bright but she could finally see the pain and defeat that consumed him. He looked broken, and while she knew this wasn't an unfamiliar feeling for him, as she had broken him before it felt as if someone had slapped her in the face with a rude awakening.

She couldn't bear to see him this torn up, so she immediately looked down at her lap and arose from the chair. "I'm awake" she responded coolly.

As she stood up she realized they had to talk about that night, and where they went from here. It was Pete who broke the silence.

"I um called Naomi's cell a few minutes ago and she just settled into her new place in New York. She um…" he paused thinking of the best way to phrase this "didn't sell her house here though, she thought she would keep it in case she ever came back to L.A. so she said I could stay there for a while, until we sort things out." He unintentionally sighed, clearly struggling with the reality of leaving his family.

Violet had been staring at her feet throughout the entire conversation but could feel her head jerk up immediately, "What? You're moving out of our house!" Violet said, perhaps more angry then she had intended. "Wait, and did you tell Naomi we broke up?" She was now growing increasing angry as she thought about everyone soon finding out that her marriage was deteriorating.

"I thought we agreed that's what would be best right now." He whispered, gently pulling Violet out of their son's room and into the hallway, closing Lucas's door behind him. "And I didn't tell Naomi we broke up, I told her we were taking some time apart, which is the truth!" He said firmly.

"We did not agree you were moving out!" Violet yelled, growing more confused by the second.

He paused staring at his wife. "Violet, we can't keep doing this, it's too hard." Pete said calmly, clearly defeated.

"So your solution is to give up?" Violet had always been the one to cut and run when things got hard. That was the reason they had this fight in the first place, but she refused to give up on her marriage and her family so suddenly.

Pete stared at her not knowing what to say next. He believed that time apart would perhaps be good for them. He broke his gaze and walked away from her and towards their bedroom. He made a beeline for their combined closet and pulled out a duffel bag hidden beneath his shoes. He began removing shirts from their hangers and placing them in the bag.

It was only seconds before Violet followed him to the closet and watched as he packed his things. "Are you kidding me?" she whispered, feeling the lump in her throat begin to swell yet again. "Pete, you can't do this." She felt her voice crack as she practically begged him to stay.

He responded without looking at her but simply continued his packing. "Violet, it's not forever." He paused and turned around so they were standing just feet from each other. "But we can't keep forcing this relationship to work." With that he wiped a tear falling down his wife's cheek. "We just need to take some time apart to think about what we want from each other…we've been here before and we got through it."

Violet pursed her lips, desperately trying to avoid breaking down right there in their closet. "What about Lucas?" she asked quietly.

"We'll alternate with him" Pete stated. "He can stay here for now, I don't want to change too much for him at once."

She didn't understand how he was being so calm. How he thought that leaving would somehow help them get through this.

He took a step closer to his wife who was now leaning up against the closet door with her arms crossed. He placed his hand on her cheek, a gesture he had done a thousand times before, and kissed her on the forehead before grabbing his duffel bag and walking out.


	3. Another Round

It was a Thursday night, and while she would have usually spent this night with her husband, that clearly wasn't an option anymore. She hadn't spoken to Pete since that morning when he had left her standing in the closet, unable to fathom the fact that he was gone. Violet had spent the day with her son, trying to appreciate him to the fullest; as she knew she would be seeing less of him in the near future.

It was after she put Lucas to bed that she realized she had the entire night to kill. It was then that she managed to pick up the phone and dial her best friend's number. She had been an emotional wreck since Pete had left. She caught herself crying multiple times throughout the day, triggered by simple occurrences that brought back so many memories.

She hadn't yet told Cooper about Pete leaving. She felt if she spoke the words aloud everything would become too real. Cooper had obviously known that things had been rocky with Pete since his heart attack but he constantly tried his best to convince Violet that things would work out.

After a few rings Violet was alarmed when a female picked up the phone rather then Cooper who she had been expecting.

"Hello" Charlotte said as she answered the call.

"Hey Charlotte, it's Violet." Anyone would have been able to sense something was wrong by the few words she spoke.

"You okay?" Charlotte asked, seeing a bit concerned.

"Um" Violet paused losing her train of thought.

"Violet is everything alright?" Charlotte wondered.

"Not really. I kind of need someone to talk to, is Cooper there?" Violet asked quietly, surprised he hadn't come straight to the phone after hearing it was her.

"Actually he just got called into the hospital. One of his kids was really sick."

Charlotte heard Violet sigh on the other line, and while Cooper was her best friend Charlotte liked to think she knew Violet well enough to know things were not good.

Charlotte broke the silence. "How bout I come over and make some martinis? We can drink and maybe talk…" Charlotte hesitated, clearly nervous about volunteering to spend a night with Violet. Their relationship had always been complicated, but she was genuinely concerned about her former roommate at a time like this.

"Yeah sure, come on over" Violet finished before hanging up the phone and clutching it to her chest while she contemplated calling Naomi's to check up on Pete. However she placed the phone on the nearby table, knowing he needed space.

It wasn't even half an hour later when Violet heard a knock at her front door. She found Charlotte on the other side, carrying the necessary ingredients to make her signature martinis.

It was slightly awkward welcoming Charlotte into the house that they shared just a little over a year ago, but now Violet shared with her family.

Immediately noticing Pete's absence from the house Charlotte asked "Where's Pete?"

It took a few seconds for Violet to respond as she slowly walked to the living room and sat on the couch. "He left." She responded quietly.

"What do you mean?" Charlotte asked, setting down her things and making her way to the couch.

"He's gone, he left me." As Violet spoke the words she immediately felt a knot form in her stomach. She could feel tears sting the back of her eyes as she looked at the blonde, clearly hopeless.

Charlotte, who always struggled in emotional situations simply placed her hand on Violet's arm and tried to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry," she sympathetically said. Charlotte had known that the couple was going through a rough patch, but had always been confident they would stay together. Ever since she had first become close with Violet she recognized her attachment to Pete, and while she had originally thought they were rushing into marriage she had always admired the spontaneity of their relationship.

Violet gasped as if holding back her emotions that were able to spill everywhere. "Where are those martinis?"

"Comin right up" Charlotte said as she arose from the couch and began mixing at the nearby table. "You know you don't have to talk to me…but I know what it's like when the man you love walks out."

With this statement Violet turned to face the woman standing at the other side of the room. She paused, unsure if she was yet ready to open up to Charlotte.

She decided some insight from the woman could maybe help. "He said things were too hard, and that he needed some time to think." Violet finished, expecting Charlotte to offer her some advice.

The woman finished mixing two martinis and brought them over to the couch and sat beside Violet. "I've seen a lot of men walk out on their families. Hell, that's what happened to my first marriage. He didn't love me anymore…well not the way I needed. But when Coop left me last year, I knew he would come back. We had issues that we needed to work out individually before we could be a couple again." The woman paused thinking of how to continue. "I've known you and Pete since you first got together and I've seen your relationship survive time and time again. Trust me, he loves you." Charlotte took a large sip of her martini, leaning back feeling proud in her ability to support Violet.

Violet didn't know exactly how to respond to Charlotte's words. She never thought Charlotte had been paying that much attention to anyone else but was surprisingly comforted by her.

"I know he loves me, but I don't know if that's enough anymore. His confidence has taken such a hit since his heart attack, that he can't seem to let me take care of him."

"You just have to give him time, his life was in jeopardy and he needs to recover from that before you guys can move forward." Charlotte insisted. "When your health is in question you push people away Violet. You did after your attack. I did after my rape. This isn't any different."

"Yeah but I don't even think it was his health that tore us apart, I think it was before his attack. I don't think he forgives me for leaving Lucas last year." Violet finally spoke the words she had feared were the truth.

"What are you talking about? He wouldn't have married you if he didn't forgive you Violet." Charlotte couldn't fathom the idea that maybe Pete still resented her for that.

"I think he was so happy to have me back that he didn't confront the fact that maybe he still couldn't trust me." She paused thinking about the fight she had with Pete before she had left for her book tour.

"That's not true Violet, you know he trusts you" Charlotte insisted, trying her best to comfort Violet but was now treading unknown water.

"I don't know" Violet could feel tears build in her eyes as she thought about leaving her son. "Pete knows that leaving Lucas was the hardest thing of my life, and he would never throw that in my face unless he was still angry."

There was a silence Charlotte didn't know how to fill. Noticing Violet was getting emotional she shook her head. "You can't go thinkin like that, you just need to give him space and maybe ask him if he's still angry."

Violet cringed at the thought of having a conversation with Pete right now. It hadn't happened in so long and she didn't know where she would even begin.

Quickly trying to get Violet's mind off her marriage Charlotte changed the topic. "Did you get Addison's email about meeting at the practice tomorrow?"

"Yeah, but my medical license is still suspended so if she's looking to begin this new practice I don't know if she'll even hire me back."

Charlotte didn't realize how much Violet was going through right now. "Oh c'mon you know she'll hire you, you were at the practice for years before she even came." Charlotte encouraged.

"Yeah but Addison and I don't exactly have the greatest history, and I couldn't trust that she would hire me back if I can't practice right now. Plus Pete's gonna be there and I don't know if I can handle even seeing him right now." Violet paused thinking about how awkward that meeting would be.

"You'll be fine" Charlotte smiled, making Violet feel a little bit better. "Now let's have another round!"


	4. Things are just Different

She tried to avoid his gaze from across the table, but she couldn't help but notice his eyes constantly falling on her. It was the next morning and despite not knowing her fate in the practice she decided to be strong and attend the meeting.

Everyone looked surprised when Pete and Violet failed to arrive together and intentionally sat on opposite sides of the table as opposed to when they usually sat beside one another. Addison was standing at the end of the table voicing her desire to get things moving with their new practice.

They had held off changing things as Pete was sick, Violet's license was suspended and Naomi had just left L.A. However this morning Addison's urgent tone let everyone know the new practice was in the works.

After discussing basic matters concerning medical consultants and funding, they addressed the practice of each doctor. When Addison's gaze fell on Violet she knew she would have to persuade her into hiring her, despite her license remaining revoked.

"Vi, have you talked to the medical board?" Addison asked firmly, expecting an answer.

"I called the other day and left a message but they haven't gotten back to me yet." Violet said, trying to sound as positive as possible.

"So…you can't practice as of now?" Addison was determined to get things under way and her relationship with Violet had never been friendly, so she didn't see the point in hiring her until she could practice.

"Well…no. Not as of now, but we are dissolving Oceanside Wellness so getting my license back shouldn't be a problem." Violet hesitated, looking to her right at Cooper and Charlotte, desperate for support.

Cooper spoke up first. "Violet you're an amazing therapist, you know that" he stroked her arm intending to comfort her.

Violet had an immediate flashback of the last time she doubted her professional abilities and Pete had convinced her that she was an amazing therapist, and wife, and mother…however she quickly snapped out of it, realizing those days were long gone. Her eyes fell on Pete's who was staring at her in pain.

He could see how hard this was for Violet and it was a struggle not to reach across the table and grab her hand, as he normally would have in this situation.

Seeing as Addison was not in the mood to offer Violet any kind of sympathy she spoke her mind. "Well unfortunately if you can't practice right now, I'm not going to be able to hire you at the moment Violet." Addison's stone cold gaze revealed that she was still bitter towards Violet for her involvement in the practice's downfall.

That's when all hell broke loose. Cooper stood from his chair as well as Sheldon who were soon joined by Charlotte and Amelia in a protest against Addison's decision.

"Addison you can't do that!" Cooper screamed.

Charlotte joined in with her husband, "She's been here for almost a decade Addison, you have no right!"

"Aren't we supposed to be one big family?" Sheldon yelled.

The protesting continued as Addison simply stood strong and took the heat.

Violet stared ahead, blocking out all the voices that at this point just added to the overwhelming life she could not handle. As if she was back lying in that bed with Pete she could feel herself grow instantly emotional and raised her hand to brush a tear she could feel drip down her left cheek. She looked at Pete fully expecting him to stand and join in with the others to defend her spot but he simply sat silently in his chair staring at her. She didn't know if he was trying to be supportive or if his lack of words disappointed her. Either way, she shook her head and rose from her chair calmly.

"Violet where are you going?" Cooper tried to grab her arm as she walked out but she shook it off, as she could no longer hold in her tears.

She ran to her office…or what used to be her office and went straight to her desk in search of a tissue. Before she could find one she looked around her office and was overwhelmed by pictures of her and Pete and their family. She realized she hadn't been here since shortly after Pete's heart attack. She walked to a nearby table and picked up a picture of her and Pete on their wedding day, sitting nose to nose with smiles on their faces that housed the happiness they thought would be forever.

Before she had a chance to put down the picture she heard her door open. She turned around surprised to see her husband. She was still crying and knew that his comfort would only confuse her right now.

"Vi" he whispered, approaching his wife.

"Don't! Don't think you can come in here and make it all better Pete. Just get out." She said firmly, trying her best to be strong, but refused to look at him.

She put the picture face down on the table beside her, acting as if that would shut out the memory.

They were now standing just feet apart as he clearly refused to leave.

"Are you okay?" He asked genuinely.

"Am I okay? Am I okay?" Violet laughed sarcastically. "No Pete, no...I'm not okay, about 24 hours ago my husband left me and I just lost my job so things aren't looking up." She said, tears of what she could only assume were rage kept falling from her eyes.

"Violet…" He said sympathetically. As he spoke her name she flashed back to the many times he's spoken it the exact same way.

She instantly interrupted his attempt. "Don't say my name the way you used to Pete. Don't come in here and try to comfort me when you clearly don't care."

Pete physically shook his head. "That's not true and you know it."

"How would I know it Pete? I don't even know how we got here! How did we go from being insanely happy to living in separate houses?" She was looking for answers, and while she knew this might not be the best time she didn't know when she would get another chance.

Pete paused trying to think of an accurate response that would explain how he was feeling. "Things are just...different…"

Violet stared at him unimpressed. "Things are just different, that's all you have to say?" When he didn't respond, she looked at him intensely. "Things are just different, Pete?"

He didn't respond but simply took a step closer to her. She didn't move but just looked at the man standing just inches from her. They didn't speak for what seemed like minutes before Violet broke the silence.

She pursed her lips not wanting to ask the question, "Are you still mad that I abandoned Lucas?" she whispered.

Pete was silent; he didn't know how to answer that question without opening a whole new can of worms. So he said nothing at all.

When he remained silent Violet chuckled and nodded, finally understanding, "Well I guess that says it all doesn't it."

She brushed past her husband and out of her office.

Pete glanced over his shoulder and watched his wife head towards the elevator. He stood there bewildered and confused. He picked up the picture that was faced down on Violet's desk and turned it around. He sighed as he had a flashback to the happiest day of his life.


	5. Ex Encounter

Violet immediately left the office after her confrontation with Pete. She was enraged at his nonchalance concerning their relationship. It seemed as if he hadn't even thought things through, and even if he did he just didn't care. She drove home quickly feeling as if she might explode with rage.

As she approached her front door she realized that she had forgotten to pick up a prescription for Lucas that the doctor had called about multiple times. Still not thinking she was in any condition to greet her nanny, she decided to go to the drug store before returning home.

She quickly skimmed the familiar aisles of the nearby drug store before getting her son's prescription from the pharmacist. Lucas had been showing regular flu symptoms and she thought it better to be safe then sorry. Before she could even turn around she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"Violet?"

It was her ex boyfriend Allan, whom she hadn't seen in years. He looked good; he still possessed the older good looks that had attracted her to him in the first place.

"Allan! Oh my god, how are you?" She asked, giving the man a hug.

"I'm good, just got back into town actually. I moved to New York for awhile but decided I'm more of a west coaster."

"Wow, guess that explains why I haven't seen you." Violet responded. She realized that she had yet to take off her wedding ring, and despite trying to take it off the night before she couldn't manage to complete the step. She placed Lucas's pharmacy bag over her left hand, even though she wasn't exactly sure why.

"How have you been? How's the practice?" He asked curiously. "You know I meant to call you, I heard you wrote a book! I haven't had a chance to read it yet though."

"Oh don't bother" Violet chuckled. While she was still proud of the book and her ability to open up to help others, she couldn't help but look at the book now as the beginning of the downfall for her marriage and her job. "Publishing it kind of messed up things for me" she finished, still thinking about her encounter with Pete earlier that day.

Allan stared at her with sympathy. "Well guess you'll have to tell me all about it. Are you busy tomorrow night? We should have dinner, catch up?" He asked.

Violet knew that Allan assumed she was unattached. She wanted to tell him about her son but decided she would wait until dinner. He knew her as the woman who never wanted to be a mother so she knew the news would shock him.

She contemplated saying no, as she didn't even know if Allan was still married. She had become so used to being in a relationship she couldn't tell if Allan's invite was purely friendly or maybe something more. However, still reeling after her fight with Pete she decided it might be good for her, take her mind off everything that was going on.

"Um, yeah I think that would work." She responded, nodding her head.

Allan smiled, "Great, I'll pick you up at 7:00." He brushed her arm as he walked out of the store. She couldn't help but think about how charming he still was. She remembered how infatuated she was with him throughout their relationship and how heartbroken and slightly crazy she became when he left her for Cami.

As she got into her car she thought of Cooper. He would flip if he knew she was going out to dinner with Allan. She contemplated not telling him, but she knew if he found out some other way he would be even angrier.

After sending the nanny home and putting Lucas to bed Violet headed to her own room. As she stepped through the door she stared at the emptiness in front of her. Pete's clothes were off their hangers; his side of the bed was neatly made as Violet refused to even go near it. His razor and aftershave no longer took up space on their bathroom counter. She sat on her side of the bed feeling suddenly overwhelmed by his lack of presence in the room she had become so accustomed to sharing.

Her eyes grew heavy as she felt the knot in her stomach continue to grow. She wanted to be free of constantly thinking of her failures. She lay on her side and stared at the spot that was usually occupied by Pete's comforting presence. She could feel herself grow increasing lonely with each night he was gone.


	6. Didn't Know We Were Seeing Other People

Her eyes opened the next morning as the sun peeked through her window. She rose, looking at the unoccupied right side of the bed. Usually the mornings were the only time her and Pete had a chance to be playful and intimate. Living with a two year old always presented a challenge for them so she couldn't help but look back on mornings like this with fondness.

As if on cue she could hear cries from across the hallway. Violet quickly rose from her bed and went to get her son. She rocked him in her arms as she made her way downstairs to prepare breakfast. Lucas refused to calm down, his persistent screams signaling something was wrong. She knew he missed his father. It had been days now without him seeing Pete, and Violet knew it was an adjustment seeing as Pete refused to ever leave Lucas's side.

She knew she would have to drop him off at Naomi's soon enough and give Pete the few days she'd had to bond with their son. As she began cutting Lucas some fruit she realized she had agreed to go out to dinner with Allan tonight. She had completely forgotten, as thoughts of her husband seemed to keep consuming her.

"Baby, you going to see Daddy soon!" Violet playfully told her son as she fed him breakfast. Lucas's exciting response making Violet's heart hurt.

Letting Lucas feed himself for a minute, she checked the voicemail on her home phone.

Pete's voice came on the answering machine. "Hi, you've reached Pete and Violet, we unfortunately cannot take your call right now but leave us a message and we'll get back to you." Violet felt as if someone had punched her in the stomach. She didn't know if it was appropriate to change the message quite yet as her and Pete weren't even definitively broken up.

Her first message was from Addison. "Hey Vi, I just wanted to apologize for yesterday, I didn't mean to upset you or surprise you, but I'm eager to get the ball rolling here so if you could stop by the office today I would appreciate it."

The last thing Violet wanted to do was talk to Addison right now. She knew the red head couldn't offer her any explanation that was going to make things better at this point. However, she did want to pick up some papers she had left in her desk so made the decision to swing by.

* * *

><p>After the nanny arrived, she changed and made her way to the office. As she walked off the elevator she could see that she wasn't the only one who had decided to make an appearance that day. She could see Cooper and Charlotte talking in Charlotte's office, and could see Addy hard at work at her desk. As she made a beeline for her office she could see Pete and Sheldon talking in the break room.<p>

As she closed her office door behind her she leaned against it and sighed, happy no one interrupted her on her way. However, it was only seconds before someone opened the door behind her, nearly knocking her to the ground.

"Oops, sorry Vi" It was Cooper. "Hey, you okay?" He asked, genuinely concerned after yesterday's meeting.

"I've been better" Violet replied as she threw her purse on the couch and took a seat.

"Listen, you're always going to be a part of this practice, once you get your license back things will return to normal, trust me." He assured.

"Cooper, to tell you the truth my position in this practice isn't the first thing on my mind right now." She sighed.

Cooper took a seat beside her on the couch and put his arm around his best friend. "Yeah…Charlotte told me Pete moved out." He paused. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, secrets clearly out of character for their friendship.

"You were busy" Violet shrugged.

"I'm sorry, but if it makes you feel better Pete told Sheldon who told Charlotte who told me that he's really bent out of shape about all this."

"Is he?" Violet said sarcastically. "Because frankly he doesn't seem to care less, he won't talk to me, he hasn't called about Lucas…"

"Well I'm sure he's just thinking about things Violet. We've all pulled that in our relationships...I've done it, you've done it. Just give him some time."

"Give him some time? Is that everyone's sage advice? Give him time?" She stopped. "He shouldn't need time to think over our marriage Cooper." She whispered, thinking if she spoke quieter it would make everything less real.

"He thinks I abandoned Lucas. He told me that night, before I left for the tour."

"Violet, he's not mad." Cooper said firmly. He rose from the couch. "And you do have a pattern to run when things get tough" he said under his breath.

"What did you just say to me?" Violet asked firmly, not wanting to hear it from her best friend too.

"Violet, he was scared you were going to cut and run again! And you did!" Cooper yelled.

"Because I had to!" She had an immediate flashback to that night, screaming those exact words at her husband, trying to make him see the rational side of things.

"You know what, I was going to ask you to watch Lucas tonight, but don't worry about it, just get out Cooper." She was infuriated.

"Why do you need me to watch him? What are you doing?"

"I have plans." Violet said, knowing this wasn't the time to tell him she was having dinner with Allan.

"Doing what?" He demanded again.

Violet yelled back. "Don't worry about it Cooper!"

"Violet, tell me what you're doing!" Cooper yelled, growing increasing angry.

She stood and sighed, knowing he wasn't going to give up. "Well, I ran into Allan..."

Cooper didn't say anything but simply stared at his best friend. "Don't you dare tell me you're going out with that man," he said rather quietly.

"He wants to catch up, that's it, just old friends."

Cooper headed toward the door and opened it to leave. "Oh, so your husband leaves you and you coincidentally run into him…of all people!" He was now enraged.

Violet whispered back. "Could you pipe down, everyone can hear you."

Cooper didn't respond but slammed Violet's door behind him.

Pete was the first one to confront Cooper as he angrily walked through the hallway and made his way to the kitchen.

"What was that about?" He asked, surprised to see the two fighting.

Cooper ran his hand through his hair, clearly frustrated. "Nothing, Violet is just…" he trailed off, not wanting to say anything he would regret.

"She's Violet." Pete said chuckling to himself. "That's what you always tell me when I'm frustrated with her" he finished.

Cooper looked up at the man. Pete looked awful, he looked like he'd been through a war, and he couldn't honestly sit here and lie to his friend.

"She's going to dinner with Allan" Cooper whispered, almost immediately regretting his words the second they escaped his mouth, but so angry he couldn't hold them back.

"What?" Pete said, feeling as if the wind was knocked out of him. He immediately turned on his heel and headed towards his wife's office.

"Pete, don't!" Cooper yelled in an attempt to stop him, but it was too late.

Pete opened the door quietly so Violet didn't know he was there until he spoke. "I didn't know we were seeing other people." He said rather calmly.

Violet inwardly cursed Cooper as she stared at her husband not knowing what to say. "We're not." She stated firmly. "I'm going out for dinner with a friend."

"Allan! You're going out to dinner with Allan!" Pete could hear his voice grow increasing louder.

"I ran into him and he just got back into town and he wants to catch up." Violet said, trying to act as nonchalant as possible.

Pete looked at her sideways. "We both know what he wants."

"You know what Pete, I shouldn't have to justify anything to you." Violet stated, realizing he had no right to leave her and then get mad about Allan.

Pete shook his head, standing unusually far apart from Violet. "I was there Violet. I was there when he broke up with you and got married weeks later. I saw what that did to do...how devastated you were..."

"Oh, but it's okay for you to do the exact same thing to me. It's okay for you to leave me Pete?" Violet stared back at her husband intensely. "Don't come in here and try to convince me Allan's a bad guy when you did the same thing."

Pete didn't know how to respond as he looked at the woman he loved so consumed with heartbreak. "I don't want you going out with him." Pete said firmly, hoping that would be enough.

Violet approached him. "You lost every right to tell me what to do when you walked out on me." Violet said, before picking up her purse and walking out of the office, telling herself she wouldn't ever come back again.


	7. Unbelievable

**Pete**

He immediately regretted his decision as he hung up the phone. He had invited Addison over for dinner, and while he wanted to believe it was simply platonic he was too mad at Violet right now to trust himself.

After she had stormed out of the office he had quickly gathered his things before leaving as well. He had always acknowledged the fact that he got angry, and Violet had always been aware of his temper ever since his miserable marriage to Anna. However, since being with Violet he hadn't felt this angry in a long time. Every time he closed his eyes he pictured Allan with his wife and felt like he was going to punch something.

He didn't know what had prompted him to pick up the phone and dial Addison's number. When they had ended things they had always promised to be there for each other, and even though they both openly acknowledged the fact that they were in love with other people, he felt like Addison was probably the only one he would feel comfortable talking to right now. He very well couldn't confide in Cooper or Charlotte as he knew they were closer with Violet, and his relationship with Sam had always been a little bit strange since him and Addison.

He didn't even know the status of Addison's relationship with Sam, but he didn't think Addison knew the status of his relationship with Violet so he assumed they were in the same boat.

It wasn't long before he heard a knock at Naomi's front door. It was Addison. She looked good, she looked impressive. He had always wondered how Addison managed to look so competent all the time. And while he sometimes found this quality of hers rather attractive it sometimes made her seem cold and a little less comforting.

"Hey" he said, forcing a smile and giving the redhead a hug as he welcomed her inside.

Addison smiled. "It's so strange to be in Naomi's house when she doesn't even live in the state anymore." Addison said as she removed her shoes.

As she entered the kitchen, she scanned around her. "Where's Lucas?" She asked, as if she was expecting the child to be in their company.

"He's at Violet's actually." Pete said, turning to the stove so Addison wouldn't see the heartbreak on his face.

Addison paused. "Hey..." She whispered, as she took a seat at the counter. "Are you okay?" She asked, clearly worried about him.

Pete looked up from the stove, offering her a forced smile. "I'm good" he said, not overly convincingly.

"Pete, what's going on?" Addison asked genuinely.

"Um...I left...I moved out." Pete replied, trying to hide the regret in his voice.

"Why would you do that?" Addison asked, clearly knowing how much Violet meant to Pete.

Pete stopped and looked at his friend. "I don't know..." he sighed. "I guess things were just getting too hard and I needed to figure out what I wanted." He said, hoping she would understand.

"I guess that...makes sense." Addison agreed. "Sometimes you have to give up the things you love for what you want or what you need." She paused, looking down at the counter. "Trust me, I get it."

"Are you and Sam...?"

"We're...um...complicated." Addison said, chuckling slightly. "I want a baby...you know that." She said, flashing back on her time with Lucas. "But Sam's not interested in having more kids and I just can't seem to let it go."

Pete realized then how sad Addison looked. He thought about the two broken hearts sitting in this kitchen and began to feel bad for both of them. "You know what...let's change the subject." Pete said immediately.

He began asking her questions about her plans for the new practice, and as they small talked they ate dinner.

However, he continued to catch himself thinking about Violet on her date with Allan. He thought about every detail, down to what she was wearing, what they were eating and what they were sharing, and if Violet told Allan about their son and about their marriage. But each time he thought about her, he grew more and more frustrated at the position he was in. He had begged her not to go, but she was right, he was the one who walked out so technically it wasn't his place to say anything.

He began to concentrate more on Addison. He needed her to distract him from his thoughts, so he began engaging himself in the conversation, telling himself that he shouldn't feel bad because Violet was doing the same thing. He learned in closer, somehow thinking that would help engage him in the discussion.

The next thing their lips were touching.

Almost immediately realizing what was going on, he pulled away. Even though the kiss was mutually brought on he pulled away instantly, "I can't" he whispered. "I'm sorry" he said, wiping his lips with his hands. "I'm married" he finished, standing up and walking to the kitchen.

"Pete, it's okay...it didn't mean anything. I don't even think either of us knew what was going on." Addison said, trying to comfort him as she could see he was clearly feeling guilty.

When Pete began pacing the kitchen Addison continued, "Pete...we were just looking for the affection we're not getting from the people we love." She trailed off, "it's what we've always done."

"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have called you tonight. I was lonely, and upset..." Pete trailed off.

"Me too...don't worry, it was just a familiar reaction, just don't overthink it...let's just pretend it didn't happen."

Pete felt sick to his stomach about keeping this to himself. He remained silent.

"I'll go" Addison said, clearly still flustered. Just as she stood up to leave there was a knock at the door.

**Violet**

She kept catching herself zoning out of Allan's conversations about New York and his life over the past few years. Not too long after they had gotten married, Allan and Cami had ended things, realizing that they weren't a good match after all. Their age difference had presented a huge challenge, and Allan continued to make a point of the fact that he still had feelings for Violet.

Before he had picked her up she had contemplated taking her wedding ring off. However, she didn't know if she wanted this date to be strictly platonic or if she wanted something more. She still couldn't believe Pete had asked her not to go, and while she knew this meant that there was still hope for them, she couldn't help but feel angry. He was sending her so many mixed signals that she didn't know how to interpret.

She had decided to leave her wedding ring on and treat Allan strictly as an old friend. She saw him catch a glimpse of her ring as she entered the car. She knew him well enough to know that he was taken aback, but didn't say anything, knowing it would be addressed at dinner.

Violet caught herself staring off into the distance as Allan finished his story about moving back to L.A.

"Violet?" He asked curious. "Are you okay?" She wasn't the bubbly, energetic person he remembered.

Snapping out of it she turned her attention back to the man. "Oh, yeah sorry. Don't worry, I just have a lot on my mind." She half-heartedly smiled before looking down at her meal and casually twirling her spaghetti.

Allan nodded as if he understood. There was an awkward silence. "So…tell me about your life, what have you been doing the last few years?" He asked, obviously wanting to address her relationship status.

Violet smiled. "Well, I had a baby." She said excitedly, thinking about Lucas.

"YOU…you had a baby?" Allan responded, in disbelief, nearly choking on his food. The Violet he remembered wouldn't even fathom the idea of having a child.

Violet laughed. "Yeah, it was um pretty surprising, but it's the greatest thing that's...ever happened to me."

Allan smiled. "Give me some details, how old is he? What's his name?" he asked enthusiastically.

"His name is Lucas, and he's about two and a half."

"No way...wow I can't believe it." Allan physically shook his head not knowing what to think about this information.

"Just when you thought I would never get married and have kids." Violet laughed, feeling a sharp pain in her chest as she mentioned being married.

"Who's the lucky guy?" Allan asked laughing, but was clearly nervous about her response.

"You won't believe it." Violet chuckled nervously, knowing that Allan distinctly remembered Pete from his many visits to Oceanside Wellness over the period of their relationship.

"I married Pete." Violet said trying to smile but feeling like it was almost impossible.

"You married Pete? ...Pete Wilder?" Allan looked shocked and surprised.

Allan and Pete had nothing in common. Allan was conceded and rich and conventionally good-looking while Pete was modest and spontaneous and up until settling down with her, liked to live his life on the edge.

It took a second for Allan to fully process this information. "Wow, um I don't really know what to say." He paused.

Allan had always worried about Pete when he had been dating Violet. Yes, Cooper was her best friend but Allan had often questioned Pete's motives and kept a close watch on their relationship which only friendly at the time, had always been weirdly intimate and close.

"Well I guess maybe I was right then." Allan said, clearly referring to his past worries.

"Oh, don't even start with me" Violet said laughing. "And things aren't looking up for us right now, so don't worry." She was trying to sound casual but Allan could see how much it pained her to face the reality of her troubled marriage.

He stared at her with sympathetic eyes. "I'm sorry" he said "but if it makes you feel better, I think he'd be a fool to let you go."

"Well, that's sweet of you but I'm not sure he sees it that way."

"He will, just give him some time."

With this Violet threw her hands up and laughed. "You don't even know him and you're giving me the same advice everyone else" she said playfully.

"Must be the right advice then" he replied.

* * *

><p>Dinner continued over casual conversation. She didn't know if Allan took her sticky situation with Pete to mean that she was available, so they avoided any further relationship talk.<p>

It wasn't until he dropped her back off at home and walked her to her front door that things became uncomfortable. It was strange to have him so close to her house...her and Pete's house.

"I had a great time." Allan said smiling.

She had been in this position with him a hundred times before when they used to date but Violet was having a hard time understanding what attracted her to this guy in the first place. While he was perfectly nice and considerate, she had no interest into breaking her way back onto the dating scene. She was technically single and allowed to do what she wanted but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't stop thinking about Pete.

Silent and unsure of what to do next Violet broke the tension. "Listen, it was so good to see you but I'm not interested in perusing anything more then a friendship right now. I have Lucas and my job to worry about and I just…" she paused.

"Let me guess...you're in love with Pete?" Allan half-heartedly smiled.

Violet laughed slightly "...You got me." She reached out and gave Allan a hug, thanking him for dinner.

As she stepped through her front door she greeted the nanny who was reading a book on the nearby sofa. As the two women shared a light conversation Violet couldn't help but feel like she still had some unfinished business to do tonight.

After pleading with the nanny to stay an extra hour Violet grabbed her keys and made her way to Naomi's neighborhood.

As she approached the door she felt almost excited. She was eager to tell Pete about her dinner with Allan and how she had been completely honest about their relationship and her inability to be any more then friends with him. Even though everyone had been encouraging her to give him time she needed to get this off her chest. Not being able to talk to him the last few days had been the hardest part about their situation.

She knocked on Naomi's front door and couldn't help but feel sad that her friend no longer lived there. She was growing more anxious as it seemed like hours before the door was opened.

She had sworn when she had walked out of the office earlier that day that she wouldn't be seeing this woman's face for awhile. Addison Montgomery stared back at the woman in shock.

Before Violet had a chance to speak Addison broke the silence. "Violet…" Addison looked shocked.

"Addison..." Violet asked, confused.

"I'm just here as a friend...I, um..." She was trying to find the right words that wouldn't allow for Violet to jump to conclusions.

Violet continued to stand there in silence; her arms crossed trying to fathom why Addison would be at Pete's at this hour of the night. It was only seconds later that Pete came into sight, stepping in from the kitchen just a few feet away from the redhead.

"Unbelievable" Violet whispered under her breath.


	8. Should We Be Doing This?

"You know what, I'm gonna leave." Addison said, grabbing her purse from the nearby table and slipping past Violet before getting in her car to leave. Pete made no attempt at trying to stop her.

After Addison had sped off, Violet still had no words. She couldn't look at Pete in the eyes so instead fixed her eyes on a nearby painting to the left of her husband. When he still didn't say anything she looked at him briefly. "I'm going too," she whispered as she turned on her heel and began to walk rather quickly towards her car.

"Violet!" She could hear him running after her. "Violet!" She was still on Naomi's front lawn when he grabbed her arm, forcing her to turn around and look at him.

"Don't touch me Pete!" He let go of her arm immediately.

"I just want to explain." He whispered.

"You want to explain? You want to explain to me why Addison was at your house at 11:00 o'clock at night?" Violet was enraged, confused and so sad. She couldn't help but jump to conclusions. She now looked at Pete straight in the eye, standing just inches from him.

"I thought you were going out with Allan." He whispered. Thinking this would be enough to explain why he retaliated.

"Oh so you went running to Addison! Addison!" She yelled rather loudly. "Out of everyone you could have chosen to retaliate with you chose Addison! Pete this isn't just some random girl." She lowered her voice. "You loved her…" Violet trailed off.

He paused. "I didn't love her."

"So this is just a pattern then? Whenever I can't give you what you want you go to her…"

Her thoughts immediately drifted to Lucas and what a close bond her son had developed with Addison last year. "Well Lucas loves her." Violet said. "That woman testified against me for my child Pete. Do you not understand that?"

"Violet that's in the past...you're his mother."

Violet shook her head. The fact that Pete still hadn't addressed what she was doing there in the first place made Violet increasingly nervous.

She felt tears begin to form as she looked up at him. She paused. "Did anything happen?" She felt her voice crack as she thought about Pete being with another woman.

When he didn't say anything and still refused to make eye contact with her Violet assumed the worst.

"Did you sleep with her?"

"What? No, of course not." Pete answered immediately. "We..."

Pete who had been looking at the ground stared back at his wife who was desperately searching for answers. "We kissed." He said sounding utterly ashamed. He began to ramble. "But it wouldn't have happened if I didn't think you were doing the exact same thing with Allan…"

Violet swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat, wanting to be strong enough to finish what she had come here to say. "That's funny, seeing as I wore my wedding ring to dinner, and told him I was married and that I would never be interested in anything more then a friendship because I'm in love with my husband!" Violet could feel her voice growing louder with each word she spoke.

"And while you may think that I was running away last year when I went to New York you are sadly mistaken Pete, because I went to get help so I could finally be strong enough to be with you!" She finished feeling slightly out of breath.

Just when Violet thought Pete was going to fight back and argue, she felt herself almost fall over as he forcefully pulled her towards him and kissed her. The overwhelming emotions that they had been experiencing over the last month were all in that kiss.

Even though Violet wanted to push him off and conserve some of her dignity, she couldn't do anything but kiss him back. It had been so long since they had kissed like this she couldn't even remember the last time it had happened. This felt different.

Pete gradually moved them back towards the front door without his lips leaving hers. As they finally closed the front door behind them they stumbled up the stairs.

As they reached the bed, Violet ran her hands through the back of his hair. She had tried to push the thoughts of him and Addison out of her mind but couldn't manage to let go of her anger. She caught herself kissing him rather aggressively, not knowing if this was because she was still angry or if she was just trying to prove he was hers.

The urgency and passion of this night reminded Violet of the last time they had come back to each other. The waiting and the anticipation had made everything that much more exciting. However, that flashback had ended with Pete proposing to her. She didn't know how this would turn out.

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Violet said between pecks.

"Vi, we're married." Pete said as he pulled her shirt over her head slowly.

After a few minutes she put her hands on either side of his face and pulled away so she was looking at him. "Are you okay…to do this I mean?" She knew she shouldn't have been worrying about his health, but it had been just over a month since his heart attack and she didn't want to risk anything.

Pete gave her a reassuring nod and smiled. "I'm good." He said before spontaneously flipping her over and onto her back.

* * *

><p>Violet woke up with a familiar arm slung over her shoulders, holding her close. She had woken up in this exact same position every day for a year but she couldn't help but feel this was different. Last night had been exciting, exhilarating…and mostly confusing.<p>

It was then Violet inwardly cursed herself for staying the night. Lucas was still at home with the nanny! And while it wasn't unusual for her to stay the night in an emergency, she needed to get home. Violet gently moved Pete's arm from around her torso, not wanting to wake him and began collecting her clothes that were strewn all over the floor.

"Vi?" Pete said waking up suddenly. He looked at the collection of clothes in her hand. "Where are you going? He asked desperately. "Come back to bed…" he said rather quietly, his voice still groggy from waking up.

"I can't, I have to get home. The nanny's still with Lucas." Violet said. She could tell his eyes were fixed on her as she continued to look for her left shoe. However she refused to look back at him, she refused to confront whatever it was that happened last night.

"I'll come with you." He said eagerly, whipping the sheet from off his body and sitting up.

"No, don't." Violet felt herself say almost immediately. As she looked at him briefly.

She finally found her shoe and quickly walked out of the room, but she was barely halfway down the hall when she heard him yell her name.

"Violet!" He repeated. But when she didn't respond he knew she was gone.


	9. Figure Out What You Want

Pete didn't move as he heard the door close downstairs and knew his wife was gone. He felt like such an idiot, for not knowing what he wanted. He loved Violet. He had always loved Violet, but something changed after his heart attack. It was like he was looking at his life differently, and he couldn't waste any more time being mad at her for her past. People always told him heart attacks were brought on by stress and they were a great excuse to reevaluate your life...

So he left. He packed a bag and walked out on his family. In hindsight he didn't know what he possibly could have been thinking, because after Violet put Lucas in his arms two years ago he made a promise to himself that he would take care of them.

After Anna died he thought he would always push away human emotion, dodging any kind of connection as a way of avoiding the same, unhappy marriage. But Violet was different. Violet was his friend, and his marriage to Violet had been…wonderful. She was thoughtful, exciting and challenging. These qualities had always intrigued him.

He had spent the last year watching the relationships in their practice. Since he and Violet had been happy, he watched as the other relationships went awry. He honestly didn't see the difficulty in staying faithful, because no one attracted him the way Violet did. She was interesting, and while that was often something he admired it also contributed to their downfall.

Sometimes he just couldn't understand her, and the way she made decisions. He had always known she was independent. She was a therapist; she was always the one that unilaterally instructed others on how to act and how to feel. But running away was something she didn't get to decide alone.

She said it herself, that she understood her running away triggered him. And she was right; it was the one thing about her that he couldn't handle. While he liked to think he had buried his feelings about Violet's abandonment, his anger inevitably triggered him to address the past.

He needed to talk to her. If nothing else they needed to talk about last night. As he sprung out of bed he quickly dressed before driving to her house…their house.

* * *

><p>He stood outside his front door. Since he had walked out, he had tried to avoid this moment at all costs. He was afraid when she opened the door he would be hit with an inevitable wave of regret, but as he looked around him he began to notice small things like the dry plants and the rusty swing. Things that he normally took care of that Violet was obviously neglecting.<p>

He knocked, and waited for about a minute, worried that she wasn't home, but then realized that it always took Violet a while to answer the door.

He saw the metal on the peephole move, as Violet checked who was at the door. This had become a habit of Violet's ever since the one day she didn't check as Katie Kent stood on her doorstep.

She looked beautiful. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, the way it was styled so often while they were at home. She was wearing her glasses and a pair of leggings with a plain oversized tee shirt he immediately recognized as his. He missed this Violet.

He smiled as he took in the sight of her. "Hi" he said softly.

"Hi" she sighed, as she leaned against the doorframe, feeling weak at the sight of him. She thought she would be seeing him outside their door sometime today.

Pete looked beyond his wife at the walls he got so used to walking past every day and the strange and authentic staircase he loved. It was then that he spotted his son waddling his way towards the front door and behind his mom's legs. When he recognized his father an immediate smile spread across his face.

"Dada!" The child said excitedly, obviously not used to his father's unusually long absence from their house.

Pete looked at his wife, feeling as if he needed her permission to enter. "Can I…?"

Violet didn't respond but simply moved aside letting the man pick up his son. "Hey big man!" Pete said as he lifted the child into his arms.

Violet looked on, getting slightly worried that Pete wasn't yet strong enough to pick up Lucas. She had grown so used to watching Pete's every move on account of his health, she couldn't help it.

She caught herself smiling as the child continued to giggle in his father's arms.

Pete moved slightly so he was looking at Violet over Lucas's shoulder. Violet could tell how happy he was to have his son back in his arms.

"He missed you." Violet whispered, loud enough so Pete could hear her. She was now leaning against their dining room table. He didn't know what suddenly overcame him but as he held tightly onto his son he walked closer to Violet and kissed her.

She placed her hand on his cheek, pulling away almost immediately. He looked back at her, insulted and confused. The pain in his eyes was laid out for her to see. She dropped her head to avoid confronting it.

They didn't speak for a moment before Violet broke the silence. "You know what, I'm gonna go put him down for a bit, apparently he didn't sleep well last night." She said as she reached for the child in Pete's arms. "Mama's got ya," she said as she bounced the child in her arms and headed up the stairs.

Pete watched as she walked away. He vividly remembered a time when she could barely look at Lucas, now she was parenting with enough confidence for the both of them. As they disappeared out of sight Pete removed his shoes and walked slowly into his living room.

He stared down at the spot on the floor where he collapsed just over a month ago. It was almost painful to see his son again, because he was still so ashamed that the boy had to witness his attack. Trying to ignore the significance of that specific spot he began to scan the room.

It looked almost exactly the same, the toy chest was in the same spot, and the TV was on but muted which was a pattern of Violet's. Her latest book was lying open on the coffee table along with her signature teacup. He made his way over to the bookshelf, which housed a collection of books that were a combination of his and Violet's. His sight immediately drifted to the picture frame on the bookshelf, which was usually filled with a photo of him and Vi taken years ago.

They looked so happy. Violet said she loved it because it showed them as friends, as it was taken long before they had gotten together. However, the frame was now empty, still standing and in the same place but without holding a picture.

It was then that he heard Violet descend the stairs. "He went down right away," Violet said before noticing what Pete was holding.

He turned around to face her, the empty frame still in his right hand. "What happened to our picture?" He said quietly.

Violet struggled to respond. "I, um, I couldn't look at it anymore." Violet responded before beginning to pick up Lucas's toys strewn all over the floor.

"Violet look at me." Pete said, getting annoyed at her need to constantly be concentrating on something else rather then them. He placed the empty frame back on the shelf.

Violet dropped the toy she was holding and stared at him, fulfilling his request.

Pete walked towards her, and when he was just inches away he grabbed her hands in his. "Last night was…" he smiled.

Violet's head dropped. She stared at their hands now intertwined before Pete put his hand on her cheek pulling her gaze upwards.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"I'm just…confused" she paused. She pulled her hands away and walked toward the dining room table, running her left hand through her hair, her back facing Pete.

He didn't say anything, knowing she was about to ramble. "You're right. You're right, last night was…amazing, but was that just because we haven't been together in so long, or because I was angry with you" she trailed off "or because of Addison?" she finished as she turned around to face him.

"Violet, I told you Addison isn't even a factor here!"

"A factor?" She repeated not really understanding his logic.

"So what…you want to forget everything, you want to move back in here?"

"Well…I don't. I can't…" Pete paused suddenly overwhelmed. He struggled trying to find an answer.

Violet laughed and nodded her head at his lack of response. "You know what Pete…just leave," she said walking to the front door and opening it as a signal for him to get out. "Come back when you know what you want."

Pete remained standing in the middle of the living room. "Violet, I'm not leaving. We need to talk about this."

"Oh okay, you wanna talk?" She slammed the door closed, clearly growing increasingly angry. "You wanna tell me why you left me and ran to Addison. You want to explain to me how I was so unbelievably stupid to have slept with you last night?" She was yelling now, completely forgetting their sleeping child upstairs.

"You don't mean that." He said quietly. "I want to be with you…"

Violet looked at him as if he had two heads. "Then why aren't you? This was your decision Pete, this break up was all you."

"Violet we both said things we didn't mean. I just assumed that you going on the book tour was just an addition to this pattern of you running away from me."

"Pete, it was three weeks! Three weeks! Three weeks in which I wouldn't have to be here watching our practice fall to the ground because of my book!"

Pete looked at her sympathetically, knowing how guilty she felt for the practice's downfall. "It wasn't your fault." He said stepping closer to her.

She took a step back as he approached, not wanting him any closer to her. "Nothing you say will make me feel any better Pete."

She looked up at him so he could clearly see the tears in her eyes. "Please just go," she whispered so softly he could barely hear her.

Pete grazed her arm before walking past her and away from his family…yet again.


	10. He's my Husband

Violet woke up the next morning to the phone ringing abnormally loudly. She quickly leaned over to Pete's side of the bed and reached for the telephone.

"Hello."

"Hi, can I speak to Dr. Violet Turner?" the man on the other line ordered.

She immediately recognized the voice of Neil Chaplin, the medical investigator who had suspended her license.

"This is her." She responded.

"Neil Chaplin speaking."

"Oh, hi. I...um take it that you got my message." Referring to the message she had left the week prior.

"Yes, I was wondering if you could stop by my office this morning. I have assembled a few representatives from the medical board to address the status of your license."

Violet agreed before she hung up the phone and went to get her son, who she had heard stirring since the phone call.

She didn't know if she should feel excited or nervous. Her meetings thus far with the medical board had been less than successful so she couldn't help but wonder what this meeting would address.

Seeing Pete with Lucas yesterday had reminded her of how close the two were, and while she was tempted to call the nanny she knew Pete would be more then happy to take care of Lucas while she was gone.

She picked up the phone and dialed his cell number, which she had memorized years before. He was groggy; therefore she assumed he had been sleeping.

Making the conversation as brief as possible, she informed him that she would drop off Lucas in an hour.

After getting ready and prepping herself for what was ahead she and Lucas made their way to Naomi's.

Pete was still in his pajamas, a look she had become so accustomed to seeing she barely noticed.

"Hi." She said barely making eye contact. "Um, everything's in the bag, if you need anything call the nanny…" she continued to ramble.

"Violet, I think I can handle it" he responded as he laughed.

She smiled. "Right, I guess you can" she finished, handing Pete the child.

He leaned in grabbing Lucas. His nose just inches away from Violet's. However, she was refusing to acknowledge any type of chemistry at the moment.

"Where are you going...looking so professional?" He asked, referring to her fitted black suit and tight bun.

"Oh, um Neil Chaplin called me this morning and wants me to meet with the board." Violet said, feeling weird about telling him this since he would have normally been there for the phone call.

Pete smiled. "You'll do great" he said encouragingly, his few words enough to strangely comfort Violet and make it all seem okay.

Violet looked back at him, she smiled as she turned on her heel. "Thanks" she shouted over her shoulder. Pete couldn't help but fall a little bit more in love with her.

After arriving at the office she met her lawyer who had also been apparently notified. As they sat down in front of the board Violet thought about Pete telling her it would go well. That seemed to be the only thing keeping her calm right about now.

"Dr. Turner" the condescending and familiar voice of Neil Chaplin echoed throughout the room. He flipped open a rather large file in front of him and began reviewing.

"Your license has been suspended for close to two months now. After receiving notice that your practice was dissolving we began to take matters less seriously. The files we were investigating were no longer relevant to this case, however it was essential that we took into account all information we have received." He pulled out a sheet with a list of patient names that she immediately recognized as her patients.

"What is that?" Violet asked curiously as the man handed her the piece of paper.

As Violet began to skim the sheet she almost immediately recognized the handwriting as Pete's. She looked up at Neil Chaplin, confused.

"This list of patients was written by a doctor at your practice, a Dr. Pete Wilder." He repeated, clearly not knowing they were married. "We asked him to identify any and all patients in which you have shared personal information with him."

Violet assumed Neil Chaplin had known that Pete was her husband after their lawyer had warned them that their relationship could cause problems for the case. However, he seemed unaware that they were married.

She didn't know what to think. As she skimmed over the list of patient names she recalled the numerous conversations about patient care her and Pete had discussed late at night while they were preparing for bed. Personal conversations she never thought would make it into her case.

Neil Chaplin spoke again. "We were surprised to see the lengthy number of patients in which you have consulted Dr. Wilder's opinion. Which was definitely a factor we had to consider when revising your license."

Violet looked up from the sheet, still in shock. She paused, "he's my husband," she whispered, growing increasingly angry with Pete contributing to her license suspension, and the fact that he hadn't told her about the list right away.

"Ohhhhh, you're married to Dr. Wilder." Neil said. "Well I guess that explains the excessive amount of patient information shared."

He looked at the row of medical consultants alongside him. "Dr. Turner, thank you for coming in. We are going to discuss the case further and will get back to you as soon as possible concerning the future of your license."

"She does have a career to get back to!" Her lawyer said firmly, trying to move things along more rapidly.

Neil Chaplin chuckled. "Perhaps" he said before walking out of the room.


	11. Everything Will Work Out

Violet was driving unusually fast, but she needed to confront Pete about this list now. Neil Chaplin had left Pete's list of patients sitting on the table so Violet didn't see anything wrong with keeping what was rightly hers.

As she pulled into Naomi's driveway she banged on the door forcefully. Pete opened the door, Lucas nowhere in sight. "How did it go?" He asked immediately before seeing the look of rage on his wife's face.

"Are you kidding me?" She said shoving the list onto Pete's chest. Pete grabbed it and recognized it immediately.

"Violet, this is a misunderstanding."

"Really? Because what it looks like to me is that you sabotaged my career." Violet said, obviously knowing that she was sounding a little ridiculous, but was too mad to care.

"Violet you're being overdramatic. They asked me to make a list of patients we've discussed. I couldn't lie!"

"Pete I consulted you about these patients in confidence! You're my husband, I trusted you!"

"You trusted me?...past tense?" He asked confused.

Violet didn't say anything, but just stared at her husband.

"Violet this doesn't have anything to do with Addison." Pete said, knowing that she was jumping to conclusions and secretly thinking about his relationship with their colleague.

"It has to do with me trusting you."

"You can!" he said taking a step closer to her running his hands up her arms, immediately causing her to flashback to the day he did that exact same thing before Meg walked in on them.

Violet closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling herself calm down.

He grabbed her hand and gently pulled her inside, and closed the door behind them. "Look...I'm sorry, I should have told you about the list but I didn't think it would ever be relevant and I didn't want to upset you."

Violet stared back at him. "Okay...I get that." Violet said, realizing that maybe now that Neil Chaplin knew they were married the list would actually help her in getting her license back. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "It wasn't your fault...I'm just looking for someone to blame for this, someone who's not me." She finished.

"Violet, you're not blame." He said convincingly, before reaching out and grabbing her hand. "Come in." He asked.

"No, I should probably go..." Violet said, turning towards the door.

However, Pete stooped her before she had a chance to reach for the door handle. "Just come in...you don't have to do anything, we'll just…talk." He finished, nervously awaiting her response.

Violet knew he wouldn't let her leave and she thought maybe talking would be good for them. She realized she was over thinking the patient list and had rationally concluded that Pete wasn't to blame. "Okay" she said, grinning as she took off her shoes.

As she stepped into the kitchen she saw her son sitting at the nearby table, now old enough to be handling his food solo. Violet made a beeline for the child.

"Hi baby" she said bending over and pulling him into her arms. Her attention was solely focused on her son who seemed elated to have his mother there.

"How was daddy's, did you have fun?" Violet said smiling; obviously knowing she wouldn't get a response.

"We had fun didn't we big guy." Pete said playfully as he opened the fridge and scanned around.

"You want anything to drink?" He asked Violet, who was still occupied with Lucas.

"Um, yeah, do you have wine?" Violet said, even though it was the afternoon she figured she could use a glass.

"Yep, give me a second." Pete said before disappearing into the dining room. He came back with her favorite bottle of red, which was often stacked in their wine cabinet at home.

"Ahh my favorite." Violet said smiling, as she spotted the bottle.

As Pete searched for a corkscrew he laughed. "I know you too well."

Lucas was getting fussy so Violet placed him back in his high chair. She thought about how good it felt to have them all in the same room again.

As Pete poured two glasses of wine he brought them over to the kitchen table and handed one to Violet before sitting in the chair opposite hers, with Lucas occupying the end. "Cheers" he said, lifting his glass.

Violet smiled, clinging her glass against his.

Pete smiled before taking a sip. "So…did Neil Chaplin say when he would get back to you?"

"Yeah he seemed to think that since we were married the list wasn't as big of a deal…I don't know, he said he would call me after he talked with the board." She paused. "Hopefully that means before Addison replaces me."

Pete physically shook his head. "No one can replace you Violet. You've been there since the beginning. Everyone knows Addison has no right to push you out."

"Well, if I can't practice medicine then there's no point in me holding back the progress." Violet took a sip of her wine.

Pete paused. "Everything will work out." he said, his tone of voice making it seem like he was talking about more then the practice.

"I hope so" Violet responded, before looking at her son. She hated to see him passed between the two of them like this. She reached out and ran her fingers through his hair like she so often did.

Pete looked on in admiration. They were so comfortable with each other that they sat there for a couple minutes before Pete broke the silence. "Should we go to therapy?"

Violet turned her gaze away from the child and looked at her husband, clearly taken aback by his question. "Um…therapy?" She asked again, clarifying.

Pete knew Violet hated therapy when she wasn't the one giving the advice. She was so used to being the one to listen that it was difficult for her to open up to someone else. He figured this was why they had so much difficulty at the beginning of their relationship, and why it was so hard for Violet to seek therapeutic help after Katie.

He put down his glass of wine and reached across the table and grabbed Violet's hands, which were casually resting on the wooden surface. "Look, I know you don't like the idea of therapy when you're not the sounding board, but I think it would be good for us…get us back on the right track?"

Even though she was uneasy about the idea of counseling, she was happy Pete was initiating a step into helping their marriage. It was reassuring to know that he no longer felt defeated.

Violet pulled her hands away from Pete's and onto her lap. She wasn't exactly sure why, but it was the same sensation that overcame her the previous day when he tried to kiss her in their living room.

Pete looked a little hurt but simply waited for her input.

"I think we should do it...therapy I mean." Violet said as she smiled reassuringly.


	12. Because I Love You

Almost four bottles of wine later Pete and Violet had somehow moved from Naomi's kitchen table to her living room couch. After putting their son to bed hours ago, Pete had convinced Violet to indulge in another glass, which inevitably lead to the two adults laughing hysterically while they talked about their past years at the practice.

It didn't seem like they had properly mourned the end of Oceanside Wellness. They had worked there for close to a decade and there had been so much going on when they decided to dissolve the practice, they hadn't really talked about it until now.

Violet was laughing so hard she could barely provide input into the conversation. She was definitely intoxicated, and while she didn't quite understand how she had ended up in hysterics on Pete's couch at 1:00 in the morning, she decided not to think about it.

Pete tried to catch his breath. "Remember when Charlotte had the sleeping disorder and I used alternatives to put her to sleep and nothing was working."

"Back when everyone hated Charlotte." Violet said, twirling the wine in her cup.

Pete smiled. "Yeah, never thought she would be working for the practice."

Violet took a sip of her wine before remembering a couple years ago when Sam was trying to reinvent the practice. She quickly swallowed and placed her hand on Pete's shoulder playfully. "How about the time you bought the defatilator as a way of gaining business." Violet laughed at the thought.

"The defatilator was great for business." Pete said sarcastically, obviously knowing the idea was foolish. "However, you have to admit you felt good after I made you try it." Pete said laughing, thinking about how persistent Violet was with campaigning against the idea.

Drunkenly Violet remembered something. "That was the first time you touched my ass." She finished, laughing.

Pete smiled at the memory. "I guess you're right...I was only trying to make you feel better." He replied playfully.

"Right…" Violet said, flashing Pete a look and taking the final sip of her wine.

He immediately noticed her empty glass. "Want a refill? He said grabbing her cup.

Violet contemplated staying. They were having such a great time she almost forgot that they were living in separate houses, and she had to go home.

She paused and placed her hand on Pete's knee. "You know what, I should probably go." Thinking the smartest decision would be to not complicate things. However, her intake of alcohol was making the sensible decision seem like the wrong one.

She stood up and immediately felt dizzy. He pulled her back down onto the couch. "Pete" Violet said seriously, sighing. "I can't stay with you."

"Why not?" He looked at her desperately. She could see it in his eyes.

"Cause it's not a good idea and you know it."

"Why is it not a good idea?" He asked.

"Because you don't know what you want Pete." Violet said. "And we're drunk, and we're confused and…" she trailed off to almost a whisper. "We just can't."

She stood up again, feeling herself almost fall over in the process.

"Violet, you can't drive home like this." Pete stated.

"I know, I'm gonna call a cab."

"Vi you're not calling a cab and going back to that house by yourself." He stood up and approached his wife. "C'mon, how long has it been since we've had fun like this."

Violet chuckled. "Yeah but…" she was running out of excuses not to stay with him.

"Our son is sleeping upstairs. We don't have work in the morning. We can wake up as a family." He sighed. "Please."

Violet debated in her head what to do. She gave in. "Fine, I'll stay, but nothing can happen." she stated, her comment not fooling either of them.

Before she could finish her sentence he leaned in and pecked her on the lips.

"Pete" Violet said, knowing she wasn't acting very persistent.

She could feel her inhibitions disappear as he kissed her again. As much as she wanted to resist, the wine was taking effect and kissing him just felt so good.

She could feel their kisses grow longer and deeper as she pushed Pete a few feet back so he collapsed on the couch behind them. She climbed on top of him, taking control.

He began to kiss her neck as she began to unbutton his shirt while he pulled her plain black blouse over her head.

Feeling like they had very limited room to maneuver he spoke up. "Should we go upstairs?" he said between kisses.

"We're gonna wake up the baby!" Violet said as she placed her hands on either side of Pete's face and pulled back so she was simply looking at him.

"What do I always tell you, he's a heavy sleeper." Pete said chuckling.

Violet climbed off her husband and picked up her shirt off the floor before Pete grabbed her hand and led her upstairs.

* * *

><p>As she opened her eyes she immediately felt her head pounding. She needed to remind herself where she was before it all started coming back to her. She turned around fully expecting Pete to be asleep beside her but was surprised to find his side of the bed empty. She was wrapped in just the one sheet, and could see the rest of the blankets tossed around the floor.<p>

She felt dizzy as she sat up in the bed, looking around her. It looked bare. Besides Pete's few belongings that were placed around the room, there was not much else.

She looked at the time, and was immediately confused when it read 11:00. She couldn't remember sleeping this late…ever. Lucas always woke up around 6:00, leaving Pete and Violet exhausted.

Surprised that she didn't hear Lucas's cries that morning the thought crossed her mind that maybe Pete got nervous and bolted. Figuring it was time to find out, she went to Pete's closet and pulled an oversized shirt she had worn before from its hanger.

She was having a hard time opening her eyes all the way, as the sunlight streamed through Naomi's well-lit house. She reminded herself never to drink that much again as she walked down the stairs.

After turning the corner she heard her son's giggles and immediately smelt breakfast. As she entered the kitchen Pete turned around from the eggs and beacon he was frying.

She groaned, trying to express to Pete how hungover she was feeling. "Did I actually just sleep till eleven?" She asked waiting for reassurance.

She walked to her son who was sitting in his high chair just feet away from Pete. She kissed the top of Lucas's head as she began tousling his hair.

Pete chuckled, walking away from the stove and towards Violet, still holding the spatula. "Thought I'd let you sleep" he said endearingly before approaching her and kissing her on the forehead.

She smiled as she looked up at him. "How much did we drink last night?" Violet asked, curious.

"Just threw out four bottles." Pete said, turning back to his eggs.

"Oh my god, I can't remember the last time we drank like that." Violet said. She paused and took a seat at Naomi's kitchen counter. "...When I woke up and you weren't in bed I thought you might have left." Violet stated calmly, trying her best to be honest.

"I thought you might think that...but I figured it's been a while since I've cooked my family breakfast." Pete stated. "And I figured you would need it." He said referring to her inevitable hang over.

Violet chuckled as she began playing with the napkins on the counter. "Guess you do know me well." She said.

* * *

><p>After breakfast Violet rose and placed her dishes in Naomi's sink. She lifted her son out of his high chair and bounced him in her arms. "Mommy's gonna go now, baby! But I'll see you soon okay?" Violet said, feeling suddenly emotional as she left her child.<p>

Pete watched this scene from the kitchen table, experiencing a sinking feeling in his stomach as Violet told Lucas she was leaving. After she placed Lucas back in his high chair and kissed the top of his head she began to walk down the hallway and up the stairs to get her things.

"Violet!" Pete yelled, abandoning his food and rushing after his wife. "Where are you going?" He said as he caught her on the stairs.

Violet turned and flashed Pete a condescending look as she continued to climb the stairs.

"Hey!" He said grabbing her wrist and forcing her to turn and face him.

Violet sighed. "Pete, I have to go." She said. "You moved out to get some space, and I need to give it to you. We can't spend all day and night together…until…" she trailed off.

"Until what?" Pete asked.

"Until you figure out if this is what you want!" Violet said, louder than she intended. "We can't just keep coming back to each other and casually sleeping together like it doesn't mean anything." She said as she left the stairs and headed toward the bedroom.

He followed her, eager to understand why she was acting so distant. "Violet, you know that's not true. We're not just having meaningless sex."

Violet picked up her shirt from the floor and stood up flashing Pete a look.

Growing worried that it was meaning more to him then her he paused. "We aren't are we?"

"Pete…"

"Answer me!" He said firmly, as they now stood on opposite sides of the bed. "You keep saying I don't know what I want, but do you know?" He picked up his wife's pants from his side of the bed and handed them to her. "Cause I think I've made it pretty clear what I want."

"Oh and what is that?" Violet asked.

"You!" He paused as she looked up at him. "Yes I walked out, but I want to come back, I want to work on things, I want to try…to be us again." He finished. "But is that what you want?"

Violet didn't answer right away. She was so devastated still about him leaving that she didn't want to get too invested emotionally.

When she didn't answer Pete spoke again. "So what was last night Vi? Why did you sleep with me if you don't want this?" he was growing increasing louder.

"Because I was drunk!" she yelled. "And because I love you!"

Pete didn't say anything. He simply stared at her. "We're not ending this." He said, convinced that they would work through it. If she still loved him he knew there was hope.

It was silent before Violet spoke. "Pete I have to go." She whispered, not knowing where they went from here.

Pete walked to her side of the bed and placed a hand behind her neck and kissed her.

The physical aspect of things had never been their issue. Violet pulled away, her arms full of her clothes.

"I'll call the therapist when I get home" she said before walking down the stairs and out the door.


	13. I've Got it Under Control

After she walked out Pete's front door she thought she would have headed straight home but found herself driving to Cooper's. She was still bitter about him running and telling Pete about her dinner with Allan, but if her and Pete could get over that situation then surely her and Cooper could.

She had quickly changed in her car back into the clothes she had been wearing the night before. She definitely couldn't walk into Cooper's wearing Pete's ratty oversized tee shirt.

He was surprised when he opened the door and she was standing on the other side. "Hi" he said smiling as he reached out and hugged her. The few days they had spent without talking had seemed like forever. "Come in" he said moving aside and letting her pass.

She sat on his couch where she had been a thousand times before and Cooper sat beside her. "Even though I'm happy to see you…" She reached out and hit him on the shoulder, "that's for telling Pete about Allan." She chuckled, "but I don't really care anymore so I'm not gonna get mad at you."

"I'm sorry" he said, a worried look on his face. "Did I mess up everything?"

"No surprisingly, you didn't." Violet said, not expanding further until she told him the whole story. "Where's Charlotte?" Violet said briefly scanning the room.

"Oh, she just left to do some errands." Catching a glimpse of the back of Violet's messy hair Cooper started to ask questions. "Wait…what's up with your hair? And what are you wearing at this hour in the morning?" His jaw dropped. "You had sex! You had sex!" He said, jumping to conclusions. Obviously thinking she wasn't sleeping with Pete he assumed it had to be Allan. "Violet, if you had sex with Allan, I'm going to lose it." He said reaching out his finger and pointing at her.

She grabbed his finger playfully. "You'll be happy to know I did not have sex with Allan, Cooper!"

"Wait…who then?" Cooper was legitimately curious.

His best friend blushed looking down. "I slept with Pete." Violet whispered, feeling like she had to hide it now that they weren't officially together. She had a flashback of the first time she had told Cooper she slept with Pete when they first got together, and he didn't believe her then and a part of her thought he wouldn't believe her now.

"What!" Cooper yelled rather loudly. "How, what, when?" He was at a loss for words. "How was it?" he whispered, nudging her. "You guys haven't slept together in ages!" He said, obviously referring to their dry spell after Pete's heart attack.

"Well it wasn't the first time." She paused "…We slept together after my dinner with Allan too."

"Violet!" Cooper yelled. "How could you not tell me that?" Are you guys back together?" He asked, assuming they were.

"No…he's still at Naomi's, and I don't know what to do." Violet said, pulling her legs up and tucking them underneath her, getting comfortable.

She paused, suddenly feeling hurt as she thought about the other night. "…He kissed Addison." She whispered, looking at her best friend.

"Are you kidding me?" He paused. "How could he do that to you?" Cooper was growing angry. He knew how insecure Vi was when it came to their redheaded colleague. She had always worried about Addison and Pete, especially after last year.

"He said it was just him retaliating after he heard I was going out with Allan." Violet stated. "But I just don't know if I can trust him right now."

"Honestly, you weren't here last year when they were together Vi. They weren't happy. He's in love with you, he was then and he is now." Cooper ensured her.

"I know he's in love with me, he wants to move back in and get back together."

"What? Seriously…well is that what you want?" Cooper asked.

Violet laughed. "Now you're starting to sound like him." She paused. "He wants to go to therapy."

"He must be crazy to think you'd do that." Cooper said, knowing Violet's inability to seek help.

"Actually, I think I'm gonna do it." Violet said, taking Cooper by surprise. "I just don't think we are strong enough to talk about the book tour and the fight and everything without someone else there."

Cooper shrugged. "Well, I think it's a good idea, I mean I couldn't even think of telling Charlotte about kissing Amelia if it wasn't in therapy. We got over it, forgave each other and now we couldn't be happier." Cooper finished.

Changing the subject he yelled "I can't believe you slept with him twice!" He was still in shock.

"He is my husband…it's not that big of a shocker." Violet said, knowing it was a bigger deal than she was letting on.

"But I mean doesn't that complicate things?" Cooper stated, voicing her fears.

"Yeah, but it feels good to be close to him again." She paused. "I guess I missed him." Violet smiled.

"Well good, but I know how sex can complicate a relationship Violet. Just be careful with…whatever you two are right now. I don't want you to get hurt." He said smiling.

"I've got it under control Coop." Violet said before leaning back on the couch and sighing, trying to convince herself that she did in fact know what she was doing.


	14. Okay, Here it Goes

"So explain why you're here." Dr. Danforth's strong English accent echoed throughout the room. She sat in a long yellow chair and across from her was a maroon couch in which Pete and Violet sat.

Violet was taken aback by her question, thinking she would never have addressed a patient's issue that abruptly. Violet looked at Pete to her left, not knowing where to begin necessarily.

"Um…we uhh just wanted to talk things over, sort out a few issues." Violet said rather quietly, still not liking the idea of pouring her heart out to this woman.

She looked at them closely which Violet assumed was to read their body language, and sense what kind of issues that might be having. They were sitting close which she assumed was different than most couples that hugged opposite sides of the sofa. They were both wearing their wedding rings, which both had failed to remove yet.

"Well I assume you're married. You don't seem like you're past the point of help…so Pete tell me why you're here."

Pete paused, uneasy about putting his feelings into words. Ever since his heart attack he couldn't seem to pinpoint the problem between him and Violet, but could only acknowledge that something needed to change.

He looked at his wife, as if he needed reassurance. Their therapist quickly noticed that both were reluctant to open up. "Okay, let's start with simple questions then. How long have you been together?"

"We've been married for a little over a year, and we've been close friends for about eight years." He finished, as he saw Violet nod in agreement.

"Oh wow, well I guess you two know each other very well then." She said, jotting something down on a pad of paper in front of her.

Pete smiled. "I would say so, yeah."

Violet stayed quiet before the therapist directed a question her way. "So, Violet, can you tell me why you decided to come here today?"

Violet didn't like this therapist's approach to things, making the patient feel like a child. Violet's approach had always been to treat her patients as equals, which might have been the reason some people believed she didn't have adequate boundaries. However, Sheldon had once mentioned what a good shrink Dr. Danforth was so she had called her on an impulse.

Violet decided to tell Dr. Danforth the entire story and avoid any confusion down the road. "Okay, here it goes." She sighed. "Um... I'm a physiatrist as well, and about two years ago I was pregnant with our son when a psychotic patient of mine drugged me on our living room floor and cut our baby out of my body."

Pete could tell Violet was trying her best to get through the details of Katie as fast as possible but could hear her voice shake as she tried to be strong.

She continued to ramble. "Pete found me bleeding on the floor and I was rushed to the hospital and barely survived physically. However, I think I didn't really survive mentally...I kinda went insane." Violet could feel tears build in her eyes as she reencountered these memories. "I um gave Pete our son and ran for pretty much the entire year...and when I did decide to come back to them, Pete was dating one of our colleagues, which was…" Violet trailed off, thinking about ringing Pete's doorbell that one night, only to find him with Addison. "...which was really hard for me."

Pete felt immediately guilty, and briefly placed his hand on Violet's left leg. Violet grabbed his hand in hers and moved it back down to his side letting go. Trying not to act hurt, Pete tried not to think about it, like the other times she had denied his advances.

"Anyways, Pete was reluctant about my ability to mother since I had been gone all year."

This is when Pete interrupted. "Hey, that's not true. I was just overwhelmed about suddenly having to share him!" Pete objected.

The therapist remained silent, listening to the rest of Violet's story.

Violet glared at Pete. "Okay, well yes needless to say I took legal action for joint custody." She didn't like to think about their court case. There had been so much resentment throughout the trial that she quickly skipped over the details. "Pete had been so angry with me, and continued to date Addison, so I didn't think there was any hope that he would ever forgive me...But eventually we overcame it and we reached out to each other after one of the members of our practice passed away."

Violet paused, thinking about that night and how bittersweet everything was. "We got back together and we were...really happy." Violet chuckled as she remembered those few weeks and how they had been so relieved to finally be getting their chance. "We already knew each other so well that we decided to get married right away. We pulled the wedding together in less than a week."

Dr. Danforth interrupted. "Do you feel like in hindsight rushing into the wedding was a bad idea...possibly why you're here now?" She asked.

Pete spoke up. "No...not at all. We worked," he said, nodding. He paused, "I've been married before" he said, catching Violet by surprise as he brought up Anna. "And I kind of stopped believing in long term relationships for a while...but Violet and I were different." He said smiling. "Our marriage was...good."

"Violet, do you agree?" Dr. Danforth asked.

Violet looked at her husband admirably. "Yeah I do..." she said, smiling.

"Well where do you two think things began to escalate?" the therapist asked.

"Well...I decided to publish a book I had written about my life and everything I had gone through, and it caused a sort of rift in our practice. It…um complicated things and my attacker, Katie sued me for the way I portrayed her in the novel." When Dr. Danforth didn't say anything, Violet continued. "That lead to the medical board investigating the legitimacy of my license." Violet grew angry as she thought about her license and how Neil Chaplin had still failed to call her back.

"...My license was suspended which launched an investigation into our practice, our medical ethics and patient care. Obviously, I felt responsible for any type of downfall our practice experienced because of my investigation and so..." Violet took a deep breath. "With our practice in jeopardy I decided it was best that I leave town, and go on a book tour that my publisher had been initiating for months."

Violet could feel Pete grow tense beside her as she talked about leaving for the tour. This was the first time they had really talked about it since it happened.

"When I suggested the idea Pete didn't seem enthused, he didn't want me leaving just because things got tough..." Violet paused, carefully trying to explain their fight that night. "One night after talking about the book tour things got pretty heated...and we both said a lot of things that we couldn't really take back I guess…"

"What was the result of this fight?" Dr. Danforth asked.

"I decided to go." Violet whispered, knowing Pete was angry just talking about it.

Dr. Danforth nodded. "How did that make you feel, Pete?"

"Um...neglected I guess..." He said. "Really angry."

Violet turned and looked at her husband, her look conveying how sorry she was, still feeling like this was the trigger to his heart attack.

Dr. Danforth continued to stare at Violet; clearly intrigued by the many things the couple had been through. She didn't speak so Violet continued her story.

"I left the next morning, and I was so consumed with guilt and regret at the airport that I decided to go home." Violet looked at Pete. "I found Pete unconscious on the floor...He had a heart attack." The therapist looked at Pete sympathetically.

This is when Dr. Danforth interrupted. "Did your heart attack change your outlook on things Pete?" She asked.

He paused, not wanting to hurt Violet's feelings. "I would say it did, yeah..." Pete answered.

"I have a lot of patients who come in here after major health scares and make huge changes in their life as a result of reevaluation." Dr. Danforth responded. "Does that make you uneasy Violet?"

Violet looked back at the woman. "Definitely." She stated. "I think we were just so confused and overwhelmed with his health that we didn't concentrate on rebuilding our relationship or forgiving each other." As Violet said this she looked at her husband.

Pete nodded, obviously agreeing with this statement.

Dr. Danforth spoke again. "So you are still living as a couple?" She asked, seeking clarification.

"Um...no, I moved out last week. I've just been...staying at a friend's house." Pete stated apprehensively.

"So you're assuming this separation won't be permanent?" Dr. Dandorth asked blatantly.

"Well I guess that's what we're here to find out." Pete responded.

Violet nodded, "We're just stuck...maybe because we both don't really know what we want." Violet finished "Can you help us with that?" she asked firmly, still somewhat doubting the woman's abilities.

"I can try." Dr. Danforth responded. She repositioned herself in her chair and sighed before looking down at her note pad. She chuckled slightly, not knowing what to write down. She dropped her pen on the pad and looked up at her clients. "You two have been through quite a lot together haven't you?" She said sarcastically.

Pete chuckled. "You could say that."

"Well looks like we do in fact have a lot to talk about...but" she paused "I'd like you to come in separately for your next session."

Violet never did couples therapy separately as she believed a couple's issues should be worked on with both of them in the room. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Violet opposed.

Pete flashed Violet a look, unsure of why she was questioning Dr. Danforth. "Yep, separately sounds fine." Pete said, standing up and shaking the woman's hand. Violet stood up after her husband smiling at the woman before she followed Pete out of the office.


	15. Some More Convincing

A few days had passed since their first therapy session with Dr. Danforth and as requested Pete was returning alone to complete his individual session.

It felt strange to be talking to a woman about his relationship without Violet present. He had never been one to open up to anyone really…so he was having a hard time explaining the issue.

"So, how have you been feeling towards Violet since you're heart attack?"

The woman's strong accent caught him off guard. ""Um…well I wouldn't say my feelings toward her have changed."

The woman looked at him confused. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well I still love her…if that's what you're asking." Pete finished.

"I don't think that is really what I'm asking." The woman stated, twirling her black pen in between her fingers. "I think I'm more asking why you left?"

Pete struggled trying to find an answer. "I think I was so angry at her for leaving me that day that I didn't even think about the repercussions…I just left."

"Well that makes sense, I mean anger prompts people to do a lot of things…" She paused. "Do you think this is why you kissed your ex girlfriend as well?"

Pete was taken aback by the question. The only therapist he had spent much time talking to was Violet and the two women's approaches were very different.

"Um…I guess you could say that, but I honestly don't even know what happened with Addison. I don't know what overcame me to invite her over."

"You really don't know?" The therapist asked, wondering if there was more to it then he was letting on.

"I guess I was probably trying to get back at her…Violet. I mean, I know my relationship with Addison makes her nervous…"

Dr. Danforth nodded her head. "So you were trying to get back at her for leaving? Is that it?"

Pete shrugged. "Maybe." He whispered.

"How do you feel now? Do you still feel angry towards her?"

"No…I don't think so. I think a part of me will always be…" he paused, searching for the right word, "bitter about her leaving Lucas and I after her attack, but I forgave her a long time ago."

"Did you really? Or do you just love her so much that you ignore your anger?" She asked.

"I forgive her…trust me. I do." Pete said, reassuring the woman.

"Okay." With that, Dr. Danforth jotted something down on her pad of paper and looked back up at her patient. "So…where do you think you two go from here?"

Pete shrugged. "I honestly don't know." He said. "I wanna move back in…and prove to her that I'm in it, but I don't think that's what she wants." Pete said, voicing his concern.

"And why is that?" The therapist asked.

"Violet has always had trouble letting me in…she's difficult I guess." Pete said, chuckling. "She knows me." He said, nodding. "She was my therapist right after my first wife passed away, and from there on out I think she's known me better than…anyone."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Dr. Danforth asked.

"Yes…but I had a lot to work through…I had a lot of issues and Violet saw that, she saw how messed up I was, and I think she might still hold that against me." He finished.

The therapist didn't respond but simply looked at him.

"She has trouble trusting me or something," he said.

Dr. Danforth spoke. "So you believe the fate of your relationship lies in her hands at this point?"

"I know it does." Pete answered. "She knows what I want, she knows I want to try again…but I guess I have to do more convincing."

Dr. Danforth nodded. "Well that's a good place to start."

Pete looked at the woman. "That's it?" he said. "You suggest I convince my wife to take me back?"

"That's all you can do." She finished, before standing up and initiating the end of the session.


	16. I Miss This

**3 Weeks Later**

Pete woke up in his old bed with his arm wrapped around his wife. He inhaled the familiar scent of her shampoo, feeling instantly comforted. He was still living at Naomi's, a decision he didn't agree with, but Dr. Danforth seemed to think was for the best. He was taking therapy seriously but he couldn't seem to stay away from her. He didn't see the advantage to waking up alone and miserable, when he could wake up on mornings like this, with his head in her hair.

He could feel Violet stir, probably sensing he was awake. He kissed her neck, loosening his arm from around her.

"Morning." He whispered, not even confident she was awake until she rolled over to face him.

He lost all self control as she smiled and brought her left hand up to stroke the back of his neck. She shook her head, "What are we doing?" she asked, smiling.

He leaned in and kissed her. He didn't reply but shrugged.

"Pete we can't keep lying to her. She's going to realize that we're not living separately."

"Well technically we are." Pete confirmed, referring to the fact that his stuff was still at Naomi's even though he rarely was.

"Pete, you spend every night here." Violet said, laughing.

"Cause I miss it!" He said. "I miss waking up with you beside me, I miss feeding my son every morning...you can't blame me." He stroked her arm.

Violet moved her hand onto his right cheek before moving it back to her side. She ripped the covers off her body and sat up, her back now facing Pete.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Pete said playfully. "Don't leave…" he begged, wanting to stay in that moment.

He pulled her back down so she was now lying on her back. He began twirling a strand of her curly brown hair around his index finger.

She sat up again. "Pete…we still have a lot to work through." She said as she stood up from the bed, with him still lying underneath the sheets.

"I know, and we're working through it." Pete said, propping up on one elbow.

Violet turned around. "But this isn't helping!" She said rather loudly, making a hand gesture that showed she was referring to their continuous sleepovers.

Pete was at a loss for words.

"It's making things complicated, I can't think straight!" Violet continued. "I can't think when you're here and saying these things and being perfect." Violet finished.

Pete looked at his wife, seeing how conflicted she was inside. "Look, I don't want to confuse you or make you think I don't want this…" he trailed off. "Just…c'mon we have a session with Dr. Danforth tomorrow, let's just talk there." He stated.

Violet nodded. "I'll go get Lucas." She said, leaving the room.

* * *

><p>Violet was sitting on the end of their dining room table, trying to fork spoonfuls of cereal into her mouth while also trying to feed her son. Pete was sitting on the living room couch reading the paper, his feet resting on the coffee table in front of him.<p>

"Hey! If you miss feeding Lucas so much why don't you come help me?" Violet yelled playfully, simply teasing him.

Pete put the paper down beside him and walked over to his son. "We gonna give mommy a break?" He asked the child as Violet stood up from her chair.

It was precisely then that the phone began to ring. "I got it." Violet said eagerly, trying to find the phone that was never in the same place.

"It's right there, under the magazine." Pete said, pointing to the coffee table. As Violet picked up the phone she was surprised to hear Neil Chaplin on the other end. It had seemed like forever since their last meeting and he had failed to reach her since then.

"Neil…hi. Thanks for calling." Violet said genuinely, willing to grovel if it meant getting her license back.

Pete's head jerked up at the mention of Neil's name, knowing immediately it was the medical investigator. He watched his wife speak in anticipation.

"We have spent the last few weeks reviewing your case and have come to the conclusion that you're not ethically or morally harmful and I wanted to notify you that we have lifted the suspension on your license. We would like to inform you that you are now available to practice psychiatry at any further practice that you may join." He finished.

Violet smiled, an expression Pete immediately recognized as a good thing. "Thank you so much." Violet finished, before hanging up the phone. She began to jump around like a young child in a candy store.

Pete stood up smiling. He couldn't be happier for her, as he could see the relief spread across her face. He pulled her into a hug and could feel her relax in his arms. He knew how stressed she had been about no longer practicing and felt like maybe this was a step into her relaxing in their relationship.

He sunk his head into her neck, holding her tighter. "I love you," he mumbled into her hair, immediately realizing how weird the words sounded coming out of his mouth. Him and Violet had never been big "I love you" people, but he hadn't spoken the words to her in months.

He wasn't exactly sure she had heard him until she pulled away, placing her hands on either side of his face. "What?" She whispered, looking for clarification. She obviously knew he loved her, but she simply couldn't process the words as they were spoken out loud.

He kissed her, which provided her with a legitimate enough excuse to not respond to his three words. She didn't know why she couldn't reciprocate his feelings aloud but something was holding her back.


	17. I'll Back Off

The last thing Violet wanted to do right now was see Addison Montgomery. She still had not spoken to the woman since she had kissed Pete. It wasn't out of the ordinary for them to not talk; therefore Violet assumed the redhead still didn't know that she knew about the kiss.

However, she had worked with these people for almost a decade and she couldn't risk her place in the practice simply because she wanted to avoid Addison. Now that she had her license back she needed to let her know before she was officially cut from joining.

She drove to the woman's house. She hadn't been to the beach feeling this way since last year when she had driven to Addison's house during the custody trial, in a desperate act to ask Pete if he still loved her.

As she knocked on the familiar door Violet promised she would act civically. She was surprised when Sam answered.

"Sam!" Violet said, realizing she missed her old friend's company more than she had realized.

"Violet!" He said enthusiastically, reaching out and pulling her into a hug. "I feel like it's been ages." Sam stated, even though it had only been a few weeks.

"How's Pete? Is he doing okay?" Violet was surprised by the question, thinking he was referring to the status of their relationship before she realized he was referring to her husband's health.

"Oh…um Pete's good. He's doing really well actually, the doctor's say his progress has been astounding." Violet smiled.

"Good to hear." Sam nodded. "Looks like he'll be in good enough shape to join in on the new practice."

"Yeah, actually that's what I wanted to come here and talk to Addison about! I um got my license back!" Violet said smiling, hoping it wasn't too late.

"Oh, well I was just heading back over to my place but I'm sure Addison would be happy to talk to you! She's just in the washroom, she should be right out," he said brushing past her and leaving Violet to enter the woman's house.

If Addison had any plans of pushing Violet out of the practice, Sam clearly didn't know anything about it. She then realized that Addison and Sam must be back together, and he most likely didn't know that she had recently kissed Pete.

As she continued to think she began walking through the woman's front corridor and into her kitchen. Addison promptly exited the washroom as Violet looked around and admired the woman's house.

"Violet!" Addison said, slightly startled. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, um Sam let me in" Violet said turning around. The look of the redhead just made her cringe. She couldn't say she had completely over came everything that happened last year. The woman's relationship with Pete had always worried her, even when her and Pete were just friends, and Addison's close relationship with Lucas also gave her considerable doubt.

"I wanted to let you know my suspension has been lifted. So I'm free to practice." Violet said. She hated having to come to Addison and practically beg for a job.

Addison stepped towards the woman and took a seat at her kitchen counter. "Well…Violet I'm afraid it's not that simple. I mean, we've been planning the new practice for months now and if I'd known sooner…" she trailed off.

"What? Addison...you can't do that. I deserve to be there just as much as everyone else." Violet said, growing increasingly angry as she listened to her colleague.

Addison looked up. "Violet, the medical advisors don't think it would be in the practice's best interest to hire you back…considering everything that happened." Addison said with complete conviction.

Violet had always admired Addison's ability to be confident in her decisions but this was just making her mad. "You can't do this to me…" Violet trailed off and words began pouring out of her against her will. "Don't try to take my job away from me too."

"Too? What are you talking about?" Addison asked suspiciously, before realizing Violet knew about the kiss.

She paused. "Violet…I'm sorry. It just happened, we weren't planning it. He was upset. I was just trying to be there for him." Addison was rambling, trying to explain herself.

"Be there for him?" Violet yelled. "You took advantage of your relationship with him…you took advantage of your closeness with my son to make him trust you! You seduced him Addison, like you always have!"

"Violet, that's not true. I promised him last year that we would always be there for each other!" Addison said, trying to defend herself.

"When you gave him up! You told him that when you realized that you guys were fooling yourselves." Violet paused. "Look, I will always be thankful for you letting him go, and letting him be with me…but now Pete and I are in this hole that we can't seem to dig ourselves out of because I can't trust him!"

Addison stood up, taking a step towards Violet. "Listen to me…Pete's in love with you, and I'm never going to come in between that. Trust me he's tried to let you go. He tried last year, and he tried again when he left you last month, and he can't."

Violet stared back at the woman who was trying so desperately to make her understand.

"If you can't see how much that man has grown for you…" Addison shook her head.

Violet didn't respond. "It's not that I can't see it, I'm just insecure…and nothing makes me more nervous than you." Violet didn't know exactly why she was letting Addison in on her insecurities but hoped she would respect them. "Please…just, while we're trying to sort things out…"

"I'll back off." Addison said, finishing Violet's sentence.

"Thank you" she whispered as she walked past the redhead and out of her house.


	18. Everything Said

"So how do you think things are going?" Dr. Danforth asked calmly, staring back at Pete and Violet.

"Um…" Violet glanced at Pete unsure of how to answer her question. "I think we are doing well." Violet paused. "I got my medical license back." She finished rather excitedly.

Dr. Danforth smiled. "Congratulations! Does that make you feel safer, perhaps some pressure has been lifted off your shoulders?" Referring to Violet's obvious stress about the status of her job.

"Yeah, I feel good." Violet said, hesitant on expanding. She still felt weird about being the patient in this scenario. They had been seeing Dr. Danforth for almost a month and she felt like they weren't making much progress. Yes, they were talking about their relationship but they were holding back on the hard-hitting issues.

"So Violet, do you feel like you'll be hired back in your old position at the practice?" Dr. Danforth's voice echoed throughout the room.

"Well, I'm not so sure, I um…" Violet drifted off. She hadn't told Pete about going to visit Addison the night before. She had told him not to come over that night; therefore he had spent the night alone at Naomi's and simply picked her up for their session.

"I went to visit the head of the practice last night, Addison, and she doesn't seem to think hiring me will be so simple." Violet said quietly.

"What? You went to see Addison?" Pete turned and questioned his wife. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked.

"Because I don't like to talk about Addison!" Violet said, trying to make Pete understand her insecurity towards the red head.

Pete looked taken aback. He stared back at Dr. Danforth, as if she would have all the answers. "Violet...this is a non issue.

Violet pursed her lips, a habit Pete noticed she did when keeping her feelings bottled up. "You know I don't feel anything for Addison." He said feeling frustrated by the topic.

"You dated Addison not long before you two got married correct?" Dr. Danforth asked, only having talked about Addison briefly.

"Yes...but our relationship ended because of Violet." Pete said firmly, trying to make Violet understand the reality.

Violet's head snapped up. "Well now you're making me seem like the bad guy." Violet finished.

Pete chuckled. "Violet...how many times do I have to tell you that Addison and I have never and will never have a relationship?" Pete stated rather loudly.

Violet shook her head. "How am I supposed to trust you when you say that Pete? Ever since she came to L.A. you two have had something...going on." Violet countered.

Pete took a breath. "So what? You're saying you can't trust me?" He asked, knowing trust was probably Violet's biggest issue in their relationship.

Violet paused and looked down at her lap. "...Not when it comes to Addison." She finished, speaking the words she had never been strong enough to say.

Pete thought about ending the conversation there but knew that wouldn't help any of them. "Well now you're just looking for reasons not to trust me." He stated.

Violet physically shook her head. "That's not what I'm doing," she whispered.

He knew that the words he had been fighting so hard to conceal since their fight were going to come out. "That's exactly what you're doing! It's what you always do! You find a reason not to trust me and you run away, time and time again!" He ran his hand through his hair, obviously enraged.

Violet looked at her husband in the eye. She nodded before speaking. "I knew it." She whispered. "I knew you were still angry."

"Of course I'm still angry. I'm so scared that you're going to leave me again that I had a heart attack Violet!" He countered.

Violet bit her bottom lip, using all her self-control to not respond and say something she knew she would regret. She stared at Dr. Darforth, but when the therapist didn't respond Violet picked up her purse and stood up. "You know what...I'm done with this." She said as she stormed out of the woman's office.

As she left therapy she could feel herself almost being pushed over the edge. Therapy was clearly not helping and while she was always one to defend its benefits she couldn't stop thinking about the hours and hours she had wasted in Dr. Danforth's office.

"Violet!" Pete yelled, his tone of voice signaling that he was still angry. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" He said catching up to her in the parking lot.

Violet kept walking, knowing that if she got into this with him now they would have to hash out all their issues right here in the middle of the parking lot.

"Violet, don't walk away from me!" Pete said firmly, following behind her closely.

Violet turned around, "oh like I always go right?" She paused, "I can't believe you." She said referring to him throwing the past in her face. They were now standing just feet apart staring at each other.

"Violet, whenever we're happy you freak out and turn on your heel." Pete said rather calmly.

Violet didn't say anything but simply stared at him wanting him to expand.

"When we first started sleeping together, I told you that I thought we could be more then sex, that we could really be something and you ran and started sleeping with Sheldon...I told you I was in love with you and I wanted to be a family and you said it wasn't what you wanted…Katie attacked you and you dropped Lucas in my lap and ran for a year, I waited for you to come back to me and when you finally did...you ran away from me at our own wedding!" Pete could feel his voice grow louder with each sentence he spoke.

Violet didn't respond right away, obviously taken aback by Pete's rant. They had never discussed her runaway bride moment and she was surprised to see him carrying resentment over the incident.

He continued, "I spent the happiest year of my life with you when we got married, and almost every morning I would wake up and think…wow, maybe she'll actually stay this time. Maybe we'll spend the rest of our lives making each other happy…" he paused "...until you ran away again."

Violet's head dropped as she stared at the pavement beneath her. She continued to shake her head. "Pete, it was three weeks." Violet whispered, referring to the book tour.

"I don't care. I don't care how long it was! You ran, and I left you because I was in the mindset that things would never change, that you could never be happy with me because something better would always tear you away." He said, feeling his voice crack as he let out all his insecurities.

Violet stared up at her husband. The weight of his words so heavy that she could feel her eyes begin to water. "I want to be with you…I do. I want to spend the rest of my life making you happy Pete." She paused. "But I don't know if I can. I feel like I'm not enough for you, or something." She finished.

"I watched you for almost ten years Pete, I watched you chase after girls trying to fill the void inside you that Anna left when she died. And part of me always thought you gave up on love because you were so damaged and so bitter."

Pete was staring at her with complete vulnerability. It was like she was picking him apart because she knew him too well.

"That's why I run Pete! That's why I run away from you…because I don't want to get hurt. I don't want to get hurt like you got hurt. I don't want marriage to ruin us and make us hate each other!" Violet sighed. "I trusted you to stay and work through our issues and you packed a bag and moved to Naomi's!"

Both stopped speaking before Pete broke the silence. "...Do you remember the night we first got together?" Pete said, changing the subject.

"Of course I remember." Violet whispered, knowing she could never forget that night.

"Do you remember I told you I was lonely to the bottom of my soul?" He paused, obviously knowing Violet remembered. "...At that point I had given up. I had told myself that no woman would ever be able to make me happy because I was too far-gone. I told myself that I was better off alone because I was no good for anyone." He paused taking a step closer to his wife. "But then we happened." He whispered.

"And I kicked myself for never realizing it before. For never realizing what was right in front of me." Pete said. "When I'm not with you that feeling comes right back, that bottom of my soul loneliness. No one else interests me, and I don't know what it will take to make you realize that I'm yours!" He yelled.

Violet bit her bottom lip, not knowing how to respond.

"Yes, I've done things in the past that make you question me, and us, but I'm here now!" Pete said. "And you can't keep running away from me because you're scared Violet!"

Violet nodded, realizing that he was right. Realizing that he had spent the last three years trying to prove to her that she can trust him. "You're right." Violet whispered, looking up at him.

"Really?" Pete said, staring back at his wife, surprised at her answer.

Violet nodded. "Ya...you're right" she repeated, assuring both of them.


	19. Are we back Together?

**One Week Later**

**Pete**

Pete woke up suddenly to the sound of his alarm clock. He had never needed one unless he had an early shift at the ER. He reached over to the other side of the bed and hit the snooze button, and thought about how Violet had always hated this habit of his. She would always jab him in the side with her elbow when the alarm would go off again for the second time only minutes later.

However, waking up Violet wasn't an issue that morning as he was once again waking up alone at Naomi's.

His confrontation with Violet in their therapist's parking lot the week prior had been a major breakthrough for them. They had unleashed all their issues, all their resentment and now they could move on. Pete had fully expected Violet to ask him to move back right away, but she hadn't yet brought it up and he didn't want to rush things. He accepted the fact that it was her decision to let him move back as he was the one who had walked out.

He immediately realized that today was Cooper's birthday. Charlotte had pulled together a party for him last minute, so Violet had been occupied helping Charlotte arrange the details. They were throwing the party at Sam's house on the beach, and were only inviting a small group.

Pete couldn't remember the last time they had really gotten together as a group. He thought back to a couple years ago where Addison and Sam would throw small parties at the beach before everything had gotten so complicated.

Lucas was staying at Violet's for a couple days and as he woke up without Violet beside him, and failed to hear his son across the hallway he began to feel lonely. He just needed to hear her voice.

He called the familiar digits that he still considered his home number. After a few rings he heard his own voice on the machine. "Hi, you've reached Pete and Violet…"

He was surprised Violet hadn't changed the answering machine after he had moved out, and was oddly comforted by the fact that she had left it.

After the beep he began to speak. "Hey Vi, it's me, I just woke up and…" he paused "I miss you" he whispered. "I wanted to know what time you're going to Sam's and if you wanted to maybe go together?" He was hesitant, not wanting to push her any further away. "Call me." He finished before hanging up the phone.

**Violet**

She stood just feet from the phone in her bedroom, listening to Pete's voice echo through the machine. She felt herself smile as he told her he woke up missing her. She looked at his still untouched side of the bed and inwardly cursed herself for not letting him stay that night.

After their heated conversation in the parking lot they had gone back home and talked so late that he did stay. Violet knew then that if she had asked him to move back in he would have, but it was a big step considering everything they had been through the last couple months.

Since then, she had been so occupied planning Cooper's party with Charlotte that she had barely seen him. She knew he was giving her space, and letting her decide what came next.

However, she couldn't help but overthink things. It was what she did. She couldn't help but fear that now everything was out in the open that it would do more damage then good. She knew she was being paranoid and this wasn't even about trusting Pete anymore, it was about trusting herself.

She spent the morning with her son, doing all their regular routines, but it felt different without Pete. All morning she felt like something was missing with him gone.

She picked up the phone in the kitchen, dialing his cell number. It only rang twice before he answered.

"Hey" he said excitedly, obviously knowing it was Violet on the other end.

"Hi" Violet said sighing. "I got your message," she said, leaving out the fact that it had been a few hours since she had heard it. "Charlotte wants us at Sam's around six, so if you wanna come here first…?" She said, accepting his invitation to go together.

Pete felt himself smile. "Okay"

"Charlotte said that the dress was semi formal so wear something nice." Violet said, immediately realizing how much she was sounding like his wife.

Pete laughed. Hearing Violet giggle on the other end. No more words necessary, he hung up the phone.

* * *

><p>Pete knocked on his front door, again noticing the untrimmed hedges and the paint pealing off the siding. He made a mental note to remind Violet.<p>

He was dressed in a navy blue button down shirt and dress pants. He thought that was sufficiently semi formal for the occasion. As he knocked again, he was growing eager for Violet to answer the door.

He didn't hear any noise inside, and wondered if perhaps she wasn't home. He knew Violet normally locked the door but tried it anyways. Surprisingly, it was open. "Violet?" Pete yelled, wondering if she was upstairs.

"Hey, sorry! Having some trouble with my dress!" Violet yelled from what he assumed was their bedroom.

Pete quickly removed his shoes and climbed the familiar stairs. "Vi?" He asked as he entered their bedroom.

"In here" she yelled from their adjoining bathroom. He followed her voice.

Pete smiled at the sight of her. She was obviously growing continuously frustrated with the zipper on her dress, however she looked beautiful. Her royal blue dress ended just above her knees, and was perfectly fitted except for the left side where she was having trouble with the zipper.

She raised her head to acknowledge his presence. "Well you look spiffy," she said. She was still holding the two sides of her dress together.

"Here, let me help." Pete said taking a step towards her and moving her hands, reaching down and applying the strength that the zipper obviously needed, as it easily slid up.

"How did you do that?" Violet asked playfully, hitting Pete on the shoulder.

Pete smiled, placing a hand on her cheek and kissing her. Violet sighed as he pulled away. "Hi" she smiled weakly.

"You look beautiful," he said, referring to her hair pulled loosely back in an updo and her makeup applied.

Violet placed a hand on his chest. "Thank you" she whispered. "Hey, where's your tie?"

"Do I seriously need to wear a tie to Cooper's birthday party? ...You said semi formal." He complained.

Violet flashed him a condescending look. "Hold on, I think you still have a couple ties here." Violet said, gently pushing past Pete and out of the washroom. She emerged from the closet seconds later with one of his favorite ties.

"I've been looking for that everywhere!" Pete stated, following Violet out of the bathroom and into their bedroom. Violet approached him and swung the tie around his neck, popping the collar of his shirt as she began tying the knot.

"I knew it was your favourite, so I kept it here." Violet said jokingly. Pete was comforted by the fact that she kept something of his, revealing that she would one day want him to move back.

He could smell the familiar scent of her conditioner as his nose practically rested in her hair. He didn't realize how much he had missed little things like this about her.

"Is this gonna be weird?" Violet whispered.

A confused Pete responded. "What?"

"I mean, going together…to the party? We're kind of making a statement, don't you think?"

"Which is?" Pete wondered.

"That we're…" Violet paused.

"Back together?" he finished her sentence.

Violet finished the knot and tightened the tie before reaching to the back of Pete's neck and folding down his collar. The gesture made him shiver.

Violet nodded in agreement. She was waiting for Pete to give her all the answers, she knew now more then ever that she wanted him back, but she didn't want to make it public unless he was sure.

"Well are we…back together?" Violet asked.

Pete responded quickly. "You tell me."

"I don't know!" She said laughing, "We act like we are...kind of." Violet finished.

Pete felt comforted by her words; "So…?"

Violet stared up at him, not responding immediately.

Pete reached out and grabbed her hand. "Look you don't have to say anything, let's just go to this thing together, let's be happy and not worry about what anyone else thinks. We never have before so why start now?" He finished, before kissing her on the cheek and leading her out the door.


	20. Making a Statement

As they exited the room, Violet quickly realized she forgot something. "I left my purse in the bathroom. Can you wake up Lucas, he's in his crib." Violet said as she headed back into the room.

Pete walked into his son's room, a simple routine he had grown so used to over the last year that he didn't realize how much he would miss it when he was gone. As he leaned over the crib he watched his son, who was sound asleep. He didn't have the heart to wake him up while he was clearly so tired.

"Hey, I got it." Violet whispered as she joined him in the child's room.

Pete looked up and smiled, "He's so tired." Pete whispered, "We can't wake him up now..."

Violet giggled as she looked at her husband. "Pete the nanny's gonna be here any minute, and Charlotte told me to be at Sam's early" Violet whispered, as to not wake the child. "He's okay," she said, taking a step closer to the crib and reaching down to pick up her son. "Aren't you baby?" She said as she lifted the child into her arms.

Pete watched as Lucas's eyes gradually opened, taking in the sight of his parents waking him up as a pair. Pete was surprised at the child's unusually calm reaction after just being woken up. Violet lightly bounced the child in her arms, until the boy caught sight of his father standing a mere two feet away and immediately got excited.

"Dada!" Lucas said, reaching his arms towards his father as Violet laughed and handed the boy over.

"Good thing I'm not the jealous type." Violet said sarcastically, referring to the child's excitement towards his dad.

Pete laughed at her comment, as he pulled the child into his arms, kissing him on his head.

It wasn't even seconds later when the doorbell rang, signalling the arrival of their nanny.

"I'll get it." Violet said, exiting the room and heading downstairs.

Pete looked back at his son. "Mommy and daddy are going out tonight, buddy." He obviously knew the child wasn't making sense of what he was saying but wanted to tell him anyways...maybe as a way of comforting himself. "But, we'll be back later, okay?" Pete paused. "Together...we'll be back together." He said smiling, before he noticed a small smile spread across his son's face.

He didn't know if he was referring to his relationship with Violet, or Lucas...or if he was simply referring to their family but he needed to convince himself that after tonight, they would all be together again.

* * *

><p>Violet entered Sam's front door with Pete trailing only feet behind her, the two clearly making a statement.<p>

Violet immediately hugged Sam who was greeting guests at the front door. She could see he was surprised her and Pete were arriving as a couple, but he quickly shrugged it off and welcomed the two. Besides a few of Cooper's family friends from L.A. the guest list consisted of the old practice members.

As Violet approached the kitchen, she put the cake in the fridge and turned to see Pete following close behind her. She offered him an encouraging smile, and approached him gently placing her hand on his lower back and she walked toward Cooper and Charlotte who were huddled in a corner, clearly surprised to see her and Pete together.

"Happy Birthday!" Violet said excitedly as she wrapped her arms around Cooper, him picking her up slightly off the ground. "I would say this is one of the better parties we've thrown you..." Violet said sarcastically, glancing at Charlotte, her fellow planner.

Cooper was clearly not interested in his birthday celebration and placed his hands on Violet's shoulders immediately. "What is going on?" He asked eagerly. "You guys came together!" Cooper said, as if he was still trying to make sense of them walking through the door as a duo.

Violet shot a glance over her shoulder and saw Pete in the kitchen making conversation with Amelia. She turned back to Cooper and Charlotte who were still desperately awaiting an answer.

"Yeah" Violet shrugged. "I actually think we might make it work." An inevitable smile spreading across her face.

"See I told ya." Charlotte said immediately.

Cooper smiled hesitantly. "Are you sure? I mean I don't want you getting hurt again." He finished, just looking out for his best friend.

"Oh, don't listen to him!" Charlotte said, playfully hitting her husband on the arm.

"I'm sure Coop." Violet said before taking another scan of the party. It was looking a little sparse.

Charlotte leaned in towards her. "Now get drinkin, this party needs to livin up a bit." She said gently pushing Violet towards the kitchen filled with alcohol.

Violet was mixing herself a drink when Amelia approached her left side almost knocking her over. "Sorry!" Amelia proclaimed. "Charlotte won't let me near this table, so I thought I would take advantage while she's in the washroom." Amelia whispered in Violet's ear.

"Amelia…" Violet hesitated, knowing from her many years of treating addicts that it was never a good idea to push. "Are you okay?" Violet asked, worried.

"Fine!" Amelia responded energetically. Obviously wanting to change the subject she took a swig of her drink and looked at Violet. "So you're sleeping with Pete again!" She stated, louder then she intended.

Violet flashed her a condescending look, not really wanting to address the issues of her marriage with her drunken colleague.

Just as Violet opened her mouth to speak, Amelia interrupted. "I know! Filter!" Amelia said, mocking Violet's key phrase. The neurosurgeon leaned in "well I'm happy for you two…plus I bet Pete's good in bed." Amelia said, provoking Violet.

"Filter!" Violet yelled jokingly. She knew this was Amelia's closest attempt at a compliment towards her and Pete patching things up, so she decided she'd take it.

As Amelia stumbled off Violet heard another knock at the door, and turned around just in time to see Addison Montgomery walk through. It was precisely then that Pete approached Violet's side putting his arm around her. "Here let me get that," he said grabbing her cup and mixing her a drink.

Violet looked back at the door again and caught another glance of the woman. Pete followed his wife's gaze, seeing where her eyes were falling.

"Vi…" he said quietly. Violet turned her eyes back to Pete, grabbing her now full drink back. "Mhmm" she nodded.

"Hey, c'mon you knew she'd be here." Pete said, reaching under Violet's chin and gently tilting her head upwards to meet his gaze.

"I'm good." Violet said, offering him a genuine smile. She thought she would be enraged to see Addison again. When she added the woman's name to the guest list she felt angry at the thought of her and Pete in the same room again, but now standing just feet from her she realized she wasn't angry.

"I trust you." Violet said, leaning in and pecking Pete before grabbing her drink from the counter and walking out towards the beach.

She could see someone she immediately recognized as Cooper standing by himself just feet from the water. Violet smiled, thinking that Coop was probably in one of his birthday lulls where he gets depressed for about an hour while thinking about another year passing him by.

As Violet walked across Sam's deck and approached the sand she removed her heels and carried them in her left hand as she walked towards her best friend.

"Hey oldie" Violet said, knowing he was thinking about the exact same thing.

Cooper turned around, surprised to see her. "Don't even" he said, taking a sip of his drink.

"Isn't this routine getting a little old?" Violet said, poking fun at her friend.

"Might be" Cooper responded, smiling weakly. "It's different this year though." He paused, dipping his toes in the nearby water. "I actually feel like I did something this year" he said. "I got married…so maybe now it's okay that I'm getting older."

Violet dug her toes into the sand. "Well that's an optimistic way to look at it…didn't think you had it in you." She said laughing.

Cooper smiled, making Violet see the change in her friend, and what Charlotte had really done to him. He'd grown up.

"How bout you?" Cooper asked, the question so open ended Violet almost didn't know how to answer.

"I feel…weathered," Violet said, chuckling softly.

"There you go with that therapist vocabulary I never understand." Cooper mocked.

Violet smiled, lightly kicking her best friend in the calf. "You know what I mean." She said. "I feel good, like I've broken through some sort of…wall or something," she finished.

Cooper looked up confused. "And that means…?"

"I don't know Cooper!" Violet yelled jokingly. "I don't know what it means. I just know that the problem's not with Pete…it's with me." Violet finished.

"You don't actually believe that, do you?" Cooper asked, wanting Violet to believe that she was a good wife and mother.

"Of course I believe that!" Violet stated. "How do I know I won't do it again? You even said it yourself…I run. When things get even a little bit hard…I run! Its what I do." Violet said feeling frustrated with herself.

"Well change it Violet!" Cooper yelled. "It's the only way you're ever gonna get what you want."

Violet was staring out at the water. Her and Cooper stood in silence. "I trust him…I really trust him. I just don't know if I can trust myself Cooper…I mean, what if I leave him again?" Violet finished, voicing her one big fear.

"Vi" Cooper said uneasily. She didn't know what was going on until she looked up and saw Pete standing just feet from them.


	21. In or Out

"I'm leaving." Pete said firmly, loosening his tie as he walked back up towards the deck.

"Pete!" Violet yelled, throwing her drink and heels on the sand and running after her husband.

As she caught up with him she reached out and grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn and look at her. She could see the anger and fear in his eyes. It was the same look he possessed the night she told him she was leaving for the book tour.

"I'm sorry…I didn't mean…" She hesitated.

"What? …Didn't mean for me to hear that?" Pete finished her sentence.

It was then that Cooper approached the couple. "Pete, don't be overdramatic…" Cooper said. "She didn't mean…"

"Cooper, she can speak for herself." Pete retaliated angrily.

Cooper's head dropped, knowing that anything he said right now would only make things worse. "I'll be inside…" he whispered, as he walked past Violet and back up towards the deck.

The only sounds were the waves thrashing in the background as Pete continued to stare at his wife. "You really think you're not done…running away?" He asked quietly.

"Pete…" Violet sighed.

Pete physically shook his head. "Just tell me Violet, just…" he trailed off. "Just put me out of my misery now if you really don't think you're done." He whispered.

Feeling like Pete would turn and walk away from her at any moment, Violet stepped forward and grabbed his hands in hers. She was surprised he didn't back away immediately. She realized this was the first time she had made the gesture...she wanted things to change, she wanted to try.

"I'm done…I want to be done." Violet finished. "But…" she paused.

"What?" Pete asked angrily.

"Maybe it's just not in me…maybe I'm too screwed up to commit to this." Violet said, knowing that she was making excuses for herself.

"That's a cop out and you know it!" Pete yelled. "If this is what you wanted you would stay" he paused. "...You would stay with me."

"Maybe…but I can't let you fall in love with me again if I can't trust myself!" She yelled.

"Well it's too late Violet because you made me fall in love with you and I've never stopped." Pete yelled before he paused, lowering his voice.

"You need to tell me tonight Violet…if you're in this. Because I can't keep doing this to myself okay?" He felt his voice crack. "..._You_ can't keep doing this to me." He whispered, before turning the other way and walking back towards Sam's.

She let him walk away as she turned back and stared at the waves, trying to pinpoint when she stopped letting herself love.

* * *

><p>Not wanting to ruin Cooper's birthday more than they already had Pete and Violet both remained at the party like civil adults. Pete could feel the room start to spin as he desperately tried to drink himself into another world…a world where Violet didn't run.<p>

It was getting late and all of the remaining guests were sitting around the deck, each one gradually beginning to feel the alcohol take effect.

It was Cooper who now appeared to be having a good time as he walked inside and turned up the music. "Let's dance!" He yelled as he stepped back onto the deck. As he approached Charlotte who was seated at a nearby chair he pulled his wife onto the deck and began twirling her around to the beat.

"Cooper!" Charlotte yelled. "Is this really necessary?" Clearly mocking his choice of activity.

"Sam, Addison…let's go!" Cooper yelled across the deck to the pair who seemed to be getting closer and closer as the night continued. Sam reached out his hand as Addison followed him to the open area of the deck.

Sheldon and Amelia were close behind them, Sheldon trying hard to hold up a drunk Amelia who was clearly still struggling with sobriety.

Violet caught herself staring at Pete who was sitting at the far corner of the deck, he was looking enthused at Cooper making a fool of himself, but didn't seem to be making any sort of advancement in her direction.

She knew what she wanted…looking at him now, smiling from across the room she realized she would never be happy without him. Just because she was scared wasn't a good enough excuse to keep running.

Violet picked herself up from Sam's chair and cut through the clearly occupied couples and approached Pete. She reached out her hand as he sat just feet from her. "Dance with me?" She asked.

Pete flashed her a skeptical look, not knowing where she was going with this. After a moment's contemplation he realized he couldn't resist. He didn't say anything but simply took her hand and followed her a few feet away.

She turned to him, flashing him her typical wide grin. She let go of his hand and slung her arms around his shoulders as he placed his hands loosely at her waist.

"Bet you didn't think this is how the night would end." Violet said laughing.

"Cooper's gonna hate himself for this in the morning." Pete said, referring to the man's decision to dance.

Violet laughed, her forehead momentarily resting against Pete's chest. She began to stroke the back of his neck, looking up at him.

"Move back in." She blurted spontaneously.

"What?" He whispered.

"I want you to move back into our house." Violet finished.

Pete was hesitant. "Violet…"

"Pete, please." Violet could hear herself almost begging. "I'm in this." She continued to ramble. "You told me to tell you if I was in or out…and I'm in."

"You're in?" He questioned, still unsure.

Violet smiled and shrugged. "Nothing is ever going to change if I don't change it myself." Violet ranted.

Pete smiled. "Are you sure?" He questioned trying to hide his obvious excitement, finally getting the answer he'd been waiting for.

She simply smiled and pulled Pete's head towards hers and kissed him. After a few seconds she moved her hands from the back of his neck to his face and pulled away. "So you're moving back home?" Violet smiled.

Pete kissed her again. "I'm moving back home."


End file.
